GLOUCESTER , MASS. (WHDH) - People trying to beat the heat by heading to a beach in Gloucester will not be able to park their car in a public lot this weekend unless they’re a city resident.
Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken, Director of Public Works Michael Hale, and Public Health Director Karin Carroll announced Tuesday that only Gloucester residents will be allowed to use beach parking lots following numerous complaints about excessive traffic the weekend prior.
“The last thing we want to do is close our parking lots to visitors, but our City had an influx of traffic this past weekend,” Theken said. “We need to reduce the amount of traffic, which is a challenge we face every year but has certainly been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. More people are understandably looking to get outside after staying home for months to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus, but that has meant traffic is worse and it isn’t a sustainable situation for our residents.”
Theken also noted that out-of-towners have been knocking on the doors of locals and asking to park in their driveways.
“We have a lot of seniors who still own homes and they were scared and they were calling the police,” Theken said. “They weren’t taking no for answer, too, they were going on side streets.”
Theken added that she is very concerned about the spread of COVID-19 in her community.
“COVID didn’t take a summer vacation, it’s still here,” she said. “I have to protect the people that I represent.”
Paula Kenney, a frequent beachgoer, told 7NEWS that mayor’s decision to close the lot is a “very good idea” because parking has been a “nightmare” in recent weeks.
Signs warning beachgoers against illegal parking will be in place until further notice.
“If you want to come here and illegally park, thank you! You’re going to be paying my salary because that is going to be a very high-priced ticket,” Theken warned.
Theken said tickets as expensive as $150 could be handed out to violators.
The City of Gloucester will make an announcement next week whether the beach parking lots will be reopened to non-residents for the weekend of July 25-26.
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