The Town of Babylon is taking a stance on out-of-town commuters and wants to stop them from using Copiague's free Long Island Rail Road parking lots. The town is asking for Metropolitan Transportation Authority approval to charge for some of the spots.
the town has developed a parking management plan with the hope to stop nonresidents from placing “an undue burden on the local parking supply,” according to an announcement from the town.
Copiague happens to be the only stop on the Babylon line that has free parking for everyone. In May 2017, the town issued free resident-only parking passes but still kept the spaces free of charge. This differs from Amityville, Babylon and Lindenhurst train stations which have paid resident permit parking, paid nonresident permit parking, metered parking and some free parking.
“Make it more in line with every other stop on the South Shore line,” town spokesman Kevin Bonner said.
Amy Pfeiffer, director of downtown revitalization for the town, said if the town starts a paid resident-only parking permit for Copiague, pricing would be similar to nearby stations, which have annual rates from $30 to $65 for residents and from $150 to $700 for nonresidents.
“It’s not something that would ever be terribly expensive,” she said. “I don’t see it being controversial.”
Annual LIRR parking rates at other stops in the Town of Babylon:
Lindenhurst — Residents: $65 Nonresidents: $225, chosen by lottery
Amityville — Residents: $30 Nonresidents: $150
Babylon — Residents: $35 Nonresidents: $700
Photo: Getty