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State Troopers M. W. Dailey (left) and T. U. Keene talk with Jim Chason yesterday at North Stafford's Mine Road commuter lot. The officers were writing tickets to commuters who parked their cars on the right of way. Chason's wife was cited. |
Mary Chason arrived at the Mine Road commuter lot around 7:45 a.m. yesterday to find all 750 parking spots full.
So the Stafford woman parked her minivan close to the curb, got out and joined a slug line.
When she returned from her job at the Pentagon yesterday afternoon, she was greeted by a state trooper and a ticket for improper stopping on a highway.
"The earlier plan was to tow the vehicle," Trooper M.W. Dailey told her. "We didn't do that. This [the ticket] is the lesser of two evils."
Chason was in good company. Troopers cited nearly 30 drivers for parking along the curbs, on the grass or in the bus lane of the lot just south of State Route 610 (Garrisonville Road) in North Stafford.
Several people who parked illegally in handicapped spots were also ticketed.
Motorists like Chason said they're not trying to break the law. They're trying to be responsible commuters by slugging, car pooling or taking a bus.
But the lots they park in are full.
"It's really a problem because nobody can park anywhere else around here," said Chason's husband, Jim, who usually car pools from a busy commuter lot on the north side of Route 610. "There's no parking left."
The Mine Road lot opened almost four years ago, and even one year ago it was less than half full most days.
"When I first started here [two years ago], you had your choice of spaces," said Cheryl Vaughan-Brown, who was ticketed yesterday for parking in a small gap between two handicapped spots. "Now, this one's full."
Recent development in North Stafford and a surge in the number of people wanting to car pool has filled the Route 610 commuter lots to capacity, commuters say.
In the past few weeks, they've been so full that drivers have taken to parking on any available flat ground.
Officials with the Virginia Department of Transportation, which owns the lots, said they knew the facilities were well-used, but they had no idea how packed they were until yesterday morning.
S. Scott Shropshire, assistant engineer for VDOT's Fredericksburg Residency, visited the lot after getting a complaint.
"I had nonhandicapped folks sitting in handicapped spots. I had one vehicle parked in the bus lane," he said. "It was just unreal."
The cars blocked travel lanes and made it difficult for drivers to see around curves, said Shropshire, who called Virginia State Police because of the safety hazards.
Police originally considered towing the cars but opted to hand out tickets instead, said Sgt. Eric R. Futrell.
Because the commuter lot is a state facility, it's treated like a highway. Parking illegally is a moving violation, not simply a parking infraction, Futrell said.
Drivers convicted of improper stopping or failing to obey a "no parking" highway sign can face fines of up to $250 and get points on their licenses, he said.
If the problem continues, violators may be towed, he said.
"We feel like we've been polite to the public. We have warned them. We handed out literature. Now we're going to the enforcement mode," Futrell said. "At some point, we have to become a little more firm with what we're saying or the public will think we're only talk."
Motorist Rick Hankins said he supported the enforcement. He nearly hit another car head-on several days ago trying to drive around a vehicle parked on the curb, he said.
"If there's no place to park, don't create a place," he said. "All you do is create an accident."
Karla Burch-White received a warning for parking on the grass near the lot's entrance. It's upsetting not to be able to find a parking spot, she said. But it's doubly insulting to be lectured or ticketed at the end of the day.
"It's frustrating," she said. "There's got to be some creative solutions."
In 2000, before the lot was open, Stafford supervisors actually leased 40 to 60 spaces at a nearby restaurant to accommodate commuters.
Regional transportation planners have spent the past 18 months trying to identify good spots near Interstate 95 for additional commuter lots. But state money is tight right now.
Mary Chason said she wasn't sure how to remedy the situation. She can't get to the lot much earlier because she needs to see her kids off to school, she said.
And she's not looking to give up her job at the Pentagon.
"I'm supporting the troops over there," she said. "They could give me a break."
To reach EDIE GROSS: 540/374-5428 egross@freelancestar.com
