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TOPSHAM — Topsham selectmen will discuss parking in the Thomas Avenue tonight, and look at its greater impact on the neighborhood.

Plans for a parking lot off Thomas Avenue were halted after the proposal went to the town’s board of appeals in September. The lot was meant to provide parking for the Hillside recreational field.

Parking is not allowed on Thomas Avenue — since 1996, parking on the road has been banned during events at the field.

Town Manager Rich Roedner said in a memo to selectmen he’s received calls from residents complaining about lack of enforcement on the ban, as well as residents who are upset they can’t park on the street while visiting friends. The issue of banned parking on town roads extends beyond the streets of the subdivision off Route 24 where Thomas Avenue is located.

Town codes prevent parking on traveled portions of streets, using language that could be left open to interpretation. It also highlights specific areas of roads where parking is prohibited, leading to further confusion. Roedner asks if the broader picture should be considered. On-street parking is mentioned in the town’s comprehensive plan as a way to address speeding.

“One suggestion in the draft plan to help slow traffic on local roads is to allow on-street parking,” said Roedner in the memo. “This narrows the travel way, adds obstacles to the road, makes people move when driving, and generally results in slower traffic.”

There are no new plans on the table for a parking lot, but the discussion has raised some questions relating to parking in town. Selectmen will discuss whether the town still has the authority to prohibit parking, and possibly the larger discussion is on-street parking is a viable way to slow traffic in town.

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