Letter: Explore Bristol? Improve your signage first

Posted 6/13/18

Marketing, my ... (three-letter word, part of body, starts and ends with letter e) …

Explore Rhode Esland, Explore Newport, Explore Bristol. I have seen a number of very attractive, …

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Letter: Explore Bristol? Improve your signage first

Posted

Marketing, my ... (three-letter word, part of body, starts and ends with letter e) …

Explore Rhode Esland, Explore Newport, Explore Bristol. I have seen a number of very attractive, colorful brochures highlighting highlights — boating, shopping, dining, historic tours, wow. Who could possibly wait to get here? Ok, we are setting aside all of Rhode Island and Newport and keying in on Bristol nearing summer time, Fourth of July celebration, to include the Fourth parade.

Crossing the Mt. Hope Bridge (from Portsmouth), passing Roger Williams University, bearng to the left, passing the Lobster Pot, what a beautiful harbor/bay view, impressive edifice of St. Michael’s Church, the Burnside Building and its beautiful stone. Yup, I have read my literature, seems like I am near and or at “downtown and am about ready to abandon the car,” park and try to take it all in.

Beautiful. Near Roberto’s (Hope Street), which I learned later is not a men’s fine clothing store (that’s ok), I spot signage:

Top line: PARKING;

Botttom line: MUNICIPAL LOT (with directional arrow directing me to the left).

Heading west on State Sreet I see a parking lot, with two messages: 1. Two-hour parking; 2. No overnight parking. Being a little timid, since there is no wording, like: “Municipal Lot,” I keep driving. At the bottom of State and Thames, to my right, there is a dingy-looking sign: TOWN OF BRISTOL, MUNICIPAL PARKING LOT (with arrow pointing right).

I take a right and almost immediately, voila, a parking lot and a clear, clean sign posting identical words to immediate prior-mentioned sign, plus “Two-hour parking.” Also, driving through the small lot — it seemed like 12 or 14 cars —I observed signage stating: 1. “No overnight parking”; 2. “Two-hour parking, except with sticker.”

Wow, a municipal parking lot, visitor that I am, restricted to two hours. Also, there is no time given as to when “overnight” begins. Is it midnight? Is it 1 a.m. Is it 2 a.m.?

Also, it would be great to know, when does daytime allowable parking begin? Is it 6 a.m. Is it 8 a.m.?

So, with no further instruction or directive-signage, Explore Bristol and the town have arranged for its, being conservative, hundreds of daily visitors ,12 to 14 parking spaces, all of which could be occupied by vehicle(s) possessing resident sticker, allowing no more than two hours of parking.

Let’s hope no one is getting paid for this one.

P.S., a couple of people, as I was walking — this will be a secret as to where I parked — along Thames Street indicated that there was a decent size parking lot, and municipal lot at that, across from Rockwell Park, and staying on Thames, if I crossed over Constitution (and of course, absolutely NO sign showing me to another municipal parking lot) and walked a little, I would discover another Town of Bristol Municipal Parking Lot, across from the entrance to Robin Rug. Each forbade overnight parking.

Well yeah, great, but you need to know that they exist in order to get to them. Sputtering a little later, a local told me this situation is in year seven with, obviously no remedy applied.

Owen E. Trainor III

198 High St., Apt. 3, Bristol

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.