Greenwich selectmen held off on a vote to remove parking spaces along East Putnam Avenue near Cos Cob School on Friday, Aug. 28.

The proposal, flagged in First Selectman Fred Camillo's Aug. 21 Community Connections newsletter, would amend the traffic ordinance to eliminate one-hour parking in a narrow shoulder at 216–232 East Putnam Ave. A town review found that parked vehicles extend into the westbound travel lane, creating hazards for drivers and pedestrians.

Deputy Police Chief Jim Bonney, who oversees Parking Services, told selectmen the area recorded nine accidents last year. Drivers swerve into the opposing lane to avoid parked cars, and people opening doors get hit. The shoulder inside the white "fog" line is not wide enough for vehicles, Bonney said.

East Putnam Avenue is a state road. Bonney said widening it could take the state 20 years.

"It's a state owned road … There is no easy fix," Bonney said, as Greenwich Free Press reported.

Owners of Arcuri's, Roost and Randy's Wines depend on those spots for customer parking. Randy Caravella, owner of Randy's Wines, told selectmen that four or five other business owners wanted to discuss options. He proposed a different solution: re-striping the Post Road, which he said was done incorrectly over the past 30 years, eliminating south-side parking from Mead Avenue to the Trovare building. Shifting the lane line could recover about two feet of road width, Caravella argued.

He called for a meeting between affected businesses, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) and Parking Services.

Camillo said he visited the site the day before in his Ford pickup truck. When he opened the door, it swung completely into the traffic lane. He directed Bonney to contact DOT about re-striping and to explore every alternative before the spaces are removed.

Camillo compared the situation to Glenville Pizza, where three replacement spaces were found after spots were lost to a new traffic light during corridor improvements. He acknowledged the danger, saying the spaces will eventually have to go.

The selectmen took no vote on the Cos Cob amendment.

In other actions Friday, the board unanimously approved a no-parking zone on about 125 feet of View Street West in Byram and within 25 feet of the stop bar at View Street West and High Street. They also approved no-parking restrictions on portions of Field Point Road and Shore Road in Belle Haven and raised annual parking permit fees at Greenwich Plaza from $720 to $795 to fund a roughly $1 million repaving project.

Bonney, who Patch reported is planning to retire soon, will reach out to DOT about re-striping. No date has been set for a follow-up vote on the Cos Cob parking proposal.