Westport selectman raises questions over lack of Westport Harbor parking

WESTPORT — You can drive to Westport Harbor. Parking might be another story.

Selectman Brian Valcourt said he has heard complaints from some Westport residents that most of the remote harbor district, including Atlantic Avenue, and adjacent roads, do not allow parking.

For taxpayers, that means no leaving the car behind to take a scenic walk or bike ride. Other roads by town beaches, including some that are state-owned, have similar restrictions, Valcourt noted.

At a recent meeting, the selectman questioned why the area is seemingly blocked for such recreational purposes, a point questioned by fellow selectmen and criticized by residents in attendance.

“I think it is ludicrous that we ban parking for an entire section of town and we have no notice from police, fire, and highway that says why,” Valcourt said June 24. 

Valcourt said his board should investigate what triggered the parking bans.

“We all pay for the roads collectively. We pay for maintenance, drainage and every other thing that is there. Yet we can’t do anything but drive on those roads. We can’t park and go for a walk,” Valcourt said.

Fellow members Richard Brewer and Shana Shufelt questioned the need for such an investigation, noting

"What problem are we resolving?” Brewer said. “I would go about this very gingerly and keep in mind, what problem does this solve and what problems does this (no parking) cause today?”

Select Board Vice Chairman Steven Ouellette said stopping the parking bans creates potential for abuse.

Ouellette said he stopped championing an extension of the bike path from Fall River through Westport out of fear that litter would pile up along the roads. Rocks by Beach Avenue were tagged with profane graffiti a year ago, Ouellette added. .

Valcourt said taxpayers will buy beach passes, but parking is not always available along Beach Avenue, a point Beach Committee Chairman Tim St. Michel echoed.

Beach Committee member William Underwood, who lives on River Road, said his committee and other town entities should engage in a long public discourse before any changes are made.

Underwood described the harbor as “special,” and said there are private entities made up of volunteers to keep it that way.

“Yes, the harbor is special," Valcourt responded. "Yes, it has environmental sensitivities that are conveniently brought up when there is a question about access to the harbor or denying access to the harbor."

He comments drew the ire of some harbor-area residents who claimed his positions were inaccurate and inflammatory. The parking bans are not as widespread as the selectman stated and are mostly in place to protect the safety of pedestrians, including children and elderly people, those residents said.