North Stafford, Va. –– There’s going to be a crackdown on illegal parking in two of Stafford’s busiest commuter lots.
Beginning today, police are scheduled to place electronic message signs at the Staffordborough and Mine Road commuter lots in North Stafford warning drivers they will be towed beginning April 11 if they are illegally parked in the lot.
Each weekday, several drivers illegally park their vehicles in spaces not marked for parking and in travel lanes, in some cases when there are still parking spaces available, say officials.
The illegally parked cars make it tough for other drivers to navigate the parking lot, including those who drive emergency vehicles and school buses.
“This special enforcement effort stems from numerous citizen complaints about the hazardous, illegal parking of vehicles in and around both commuter lots,” said Virginia State Police First Sgt. Keith H. Hairston in a press release. “This is not the first time state police has had to initiate an enforcement campaign to gain drivers’ compliance with posted parking rules and regulations.”
Starting Monday, police will place fliers on cars that are illegally parked warning them of the upcoming enforcement.
The crackdown comes after Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton on Thursday visited the Staffordborough commuter lot to announce a 1,000-space expansion of the lot.
While there, a school bus driver addressed Connaughton and told him the illegally parked cars in the crowded lot made it hard for her to navigate the lot.
He responded by saying officials would look to find a solution.
