More parking restrictions around North

“Instead of deterring students from driving to school, students park even further from the school,” said Sam Catalano, a senior at Valley Stream North High School, in reference to the Town of Hempstead’s recent decision to restrict parking on some neighboring streets around the school.

There is no parking allowed between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. in a certain section of Brower Avenue and on Birch Street, cross streets for the school at 750 Herman Ave. in Franklin Square. If someone forgets, there are several signs to remind them of the rule, which was requested by residents, according to a town spokeswoman. The signs went up on Brower Avenue on Nov. 29.

Typically, written requests for a parking restriction come from a local civic association, and a traffic survey is done to determine if the request is warranted, the spokeswoman said. If the results support the request, the town board then votes on it.

The town’s new restrictions are most likely the result of a parking policy change made by the Valley Stream Central High School District, which took effect last year. Student drivers cannot move their cars from a high school parking lot during the school day unless authorized to do so, under Section 5454 of Board of Education policy. The decision was made for safety reasons, school officials said.

“The point was [students] only had 42 minutes for lunch, causing them to drive fast and not be safe,” said board President Jeanne Greco Jacobs.

Students had a strong initial reaction to the new policy and spoke out at a board meeting last year, but have since accepted it, said Superintendent Dr. Bill Heidenreich.

However, several students circumvented the rule, parking on streets adjacent to their respective school, Heidenreich added. With clogged streets and heavier traffic, residents began making complaints. “They were upset about the kids,” Heidenreich said.

Since North is located outside of the village, the town allows residents to petition for a parking restriction, he explained. He was not aware of any recent restriction changes, but did know that no parking signs were put up, he said.