A narrow East Putnam Avenue shoulder in Cos Cob where nine crashes occurred in 2025 will no longer allow parking after the Greenwich Board of Selectmen voted to eliminate one-hour parking there at its Thursday, Aug. 13 meeting.

Deputy Police Chief Jim Bonney, who heads the Department of Parking Services, told selectmen that drivers squeeze into spots along the paved shoulder on the same side as Cos Cob School and a rock outcropping, forcing vehicles in the northernmost travel lane to drift into adjacent traffic.

"People squeeze their cars in there in areas that are not wide enough and cause drivers in the northern most lane to wander into the lane next to them," Bonney said at the meeting, as reported by Greenwich Free Press.

The shoulder area is classified in town records as a "fog line" zone, where the white line narrows yet drivers park and hang into the active lane. No ordinance previously regulated parking along this section.

The town will install road markings and signs before enforcement begins. One-hour parking spaces remain available in front of the row of stores on East Putnam Avenue, including Arcuri's, Gelato & Cioccolato, Randy's Wines and Roost.

Belle Haven parking ban targets landscaper trucks

The selectmen also approved a no-parking, no-standing ban on both sides of Field Point Road between Field Point Circle and Intervale Road, and both sides of Shore Road from Field Point Road to Intervale Road in the Belle Haven area. Bonney said landscaper trucks line up and idle on those roads in the morning, creating a traffic safety hazard. Both roads have double yellow centerlines and are too narrow to support a parking lane alongside vehicle travel.

Loophole closed on 'moved vehicle' definition

In a separate unanimous vote, the board approved a new definition requiring a parked car to vacate its entire original space and stay away for at least two hours before returning. The change closes a loophole where drivers shifted their vehicles just inches to reset parking time limits.

Parking fee increases still pending

One major item still requires a second read: proposed annual parking permit fee increases averaging about 10%, the first since 2019. The increases would take effect with 2027 permits.

Proposed new rates range from $30 for Byram lots (up from $25) to $795 for Greenwich Plaza, Soundview, Lafayette Place and central Greenwich resident permits (up from $720). The increases are projected to generate an additional $220,950 in revenue in 2027, according to Patch.

Bonney cited upcoming capital projects, including roughly $600,000 in Town Hall parking garage repairs and close to $1 million to repave the Greenwich Plaza lot. First Selectman Fred Camillo signaled support but noted the town's pricing philosophy: "We always want to make sure we're never the most expensive. We never want to be near the most expensive."

The Board of Selectmen is scheduled to take up the fee proposal and remaining second-read items at its next meeting on Thursday, Aug. 27 at 10:30 a.m. at Town Hall.