This was the 1st day of the Saugatuck parking lot #1 renovation project. An alert — and none-too-pleased — “06880” reader/commuter wrote this morning:
Things aren’t going so smoothly for commuters. A police car is blocking 1 lane of Saugatuck Avenue, causing cars to back up to Exit 17. Three officials are huddled in conversation while we look for the best way to cross the busy road. The guy meant to direct us in the lot has been checking his phone since I arrived and doesn’t realize the lot is full.
Commuters who made it across the road have found themselves walking across the closed lot, where heavy machinery hammers away. One woman in heels refused to listen to an official and started running past a backhoe for the stairs by the park. He eventually caught up with her. Another commuter angrily pointed out that there is no indication of where we should walk. This is a shitshow, as we say in midtown Manhattan.
An aerial view of train station parking lot 1 (center).
He followed up tonight:
An email from Westport Parking arrived at 3:19 this afternoon, telling us the safest path to walk from the station. All the parking officials and police were gone when the 6:32 arrived from Grand Central.
Dozens of us safely navigated our way across Saugatuck Avenue, then wait in a line of cars to exit Lot 8. It’s going to be a long summer.
Westport Police are on it. Commuters are adaptable too. I’m betting things will sort themselves out quickly.
Maybe John Steinberg can do another video, this one about his ideas of a better parking lot for Saugatuck. Too funny.
congrats and thank you to the westport police and those doing the parking lot renovation project. they have been so communicative and flexible and in one day have made good progress. i work in new york with the joke of cones and scafffolding for neverending projects with no communication and road blocks at will. lets think about this, a plan was made and residents got to discuss and help a productive change. then we got multiple emails about timing. and… there are always officers around and ready to help. in a world undergoing sad and unjust relationships between residents and public servants, its a pleasure and honor to live in a town with great communication and care for each other. So thanks for all the hard work here. I could not disagree more with people that just like to complain about everything and find the glass half empty.