The Rhode Island State Traffic Commission has put off a decision on Narragansett’s plans to place parking restrictions along two state roads used by many visitors to Narragansett Town Beach in the summer months. Commissioners said Wednesday they want more time to investigate potential safety hazards posed by timed parking restrictions.
In June, the town placed signs warning of a three-hour parking limit on Narragansett Avenue and the Ocean Road along the town’s iconic seawall. Both roads are state roads.
By delaying a potential vote until its next meeting September 3 — the day after Labor Day — the commission is effectively preventing the town from implementing its plan for the peak of summer beach season, according to the town’s solicitor.
At a hearing in a State House meeting room, critics and town officials spoke passionately against and for the parking changes. The town argues the seasonal parking restrictions from May 15 to September 15 will alleviate traffic congestion caused by people visiting Narragansett in the summer months. Opponents say the restrictions are unnecessary, calling them a backdoor way of making the town more exclusive and unfriendly to the many people who visit the area from out-of-town in the summer.
Anthony D’Ellena, a candidate for Narragansett Town Council, told commissioners he’s been campaigning in town and has not met a single resident who is in favor of the parking restrictions.
“This is just a piece of the puzzle, a piece of the elitist agenda that this town council has,” D’Ellena said. “They want to push out outsiders, the middle and lower working classes.”
Shoreline access advocate Conrad Ferla said parking restrictions take away from the “comparative advantages” of Rhode Island’s economy.
“We only have a few economic driver tourist towns,” Ferla said. “So every time one of those gets more restricted or harder to go to, that’s less money coming into this tiny state.”
Narragansett Town Solicitor Mark Davis said he was “flabbergasted” to hear people speak against the parking restrictions on the grounds that they would make the town more exclusive and dissuade outside visitors from coming to Narragansett.
“The parking restrictions actually do what they’re arguing for,” Davis said. “They allow people to come in, force people out in three hours to allow other people to come in. No one’s eliminating parking.”
“I don’t know where the elitism comes in, in this,” Davis said. “The elites have their own parking.”
Davis said Narragansett is being “singled out” and other towns have municipal parking policies on state roads they didn’t need to seek the approval Narragansett is now being required to get.
“There’s something that does not make sense with this whole situation,” Town Council President Ewa Dzwierzynski said. “I feel it is political in nature.”
State v. Town
The Narragansett Town Council approved the restrictions in 2023 and began installing signs last month for this summer season. But the Rhode Island Department of Transportation quickly sent the town’s solicitor a cease and desist letter, saying the restrictions on state roads require state approval. The signs came down.
It’s common for visitors to avoid the town lot parking fees by parking along Ocean Road and other streets for the day, which is part of the reason why reaction to the time-limited parking has been so negative.
At present, daily admission to Narragansett Town Beach is $12 per person, with children 11 years old and younger allowed in for free. Seasonal passes are available to town residents and taxpayers only: $25 per person 18 to 61, $10 for minors 12 to 17, and free for residents 62 years and older and members of the Narragansett Indian Tribe.
Parking passes to town lots are available to residents and taxpayers at $50 for the season. Daily parking is available to non-residents in a designated lot, $10 for the day on weekdays, and $15 for the day on weekends.
A recent carrying capacity study for Narragansett Town Beach found that on-street parking adds 422 spaces within walking distance of the beach.
While some residents have raised concerns about crowd sizes at the beach, the study found Narragansett Town Beach “is not overcrowded to the detriment of safety or user experience.”
“At this point in time, limiting beach capacity does not appear necessary based on typical habits and available beach recreation space,” the report issued by Taylor Engineering, Inc., of Jacksonville, Fla., said.
