Railroad Avenue parking limited following safety concerns

MATTAPOISETT — Parking on the west side of Railroad Avenue near the beginning of the Mattapoisett Rail Trail will now be restricted, following safety and privacy concerns voiced by residents of the street.

The vote comes after Charlene Dextraze, who lives on Railroad Avenue, came before the Select Board on Tuesday, May 27 expressing her concerns and discomfort about the heightened car and pedestrian traffic in front of her home.

Dextraze said that she hears car doors at all hours of the day and night, noticed that there is more garbage everywhere and said that people have thrown obscenities at her when she pulls out of her driveway.

“I am treated as if I am in the way of traffic on Railroad Avenue where my home is and where I reside,” she said.

After the May 27 meeting, temporary no parking signs were put up along Railroad Avenue, and on June 10 the Select Board voted to place permanent no parking signs and restrict parking on the west side of Railroad Avenue. The restriction will extend from Route 6 to the corner of the Mattapoisett Rail Trail parking lot.

“While the town of Mattapoisett continues to encourage outdoor recreational activity, it’s important to recognize and address the unintended impacts this has had on many nearby residents,” chair Tyler Macallister read from a memo from Safety Officer Lieutenant Justin King on Tuesday, June 10.

King noted in the letter that the increase of vehicle and foot traffic has led to some ongoing issues, including blocked driveways, an increase in trash and debris left behind, excessive noise in the early morning and early evening hours and violations to the rights and privacy of homeowners.

Macallister addressed some concerns and complaints he read on the Mattapoisett Life Facebook page regarding the temporary parking limitations, including how much space the boat trailer parking spaces take up.

He noted that the town is required to maintain 17 parking spaces for out-of-town residents to use the boat ramp near the Rail Trail and said that that won’t change.

Board member Jordan Collyer said the town will have to do a “comprehensive look at all the areas as we manage through this. We’re going to have to see where things get pushed to.”

He noted some parking alternatives people could use if the parking lot is full, including the Center School parking lot, Mattapoisett Neck Road, Brandt Island Road and other parking areas in the center of town.

This is, however, not a fix-all solution.

“We need to take a step back and figure out what we’re going to do for the immediate future ... because we are already having a negative impact there, and we knew this was going to happen,” Collyer said.