SKANEATELES - The Skaneateles Village Board of Trustees unanimously decided on Monday to amend the local parking law to make it illegal to park on the west side of West Lake Street between Genesee Street and the village line in response to residents concerns about poor traffic safety.

Village Mayor Bob Green said the Skaneateles Police Department would start enforcing the new parking regulations within 15 to 30 days after the village contacted the New York Secretary of State and installed the new no parking signs. Police would also ensure that motorists did not begin to speed as a result of uncongested traffic.

A legal parking zone will remain in an area just off of Genesee Street which is three lanes wide, Green said. If people are caught parking on the west side of the street outside of that small parking zone, or the east side where parking is already illegal, they will receive a $10 ticket.

The amendment comes after a July 14 public hearing where residents on West Lake Street voiced their concerns about a lack of safety due to parked cars blocking traffic. Dave Blackwell said the street was not wide enough for cars to park on the shoulder, which caused the two-lane road to become restricted to one.

Many residents said it was only a matter of time before someone got hurt as cars engaged in a game of chicken to gain the right of way.

“We are very pleased with the decision,” Blackwell said. “We will finally have some safety.”

In the original resolution proposed to the village's vehicle and traffic laws, no parking would have remained within 47 feet from where West Lake Street intersects the south side of Genesee Street. The next 250 feet south would be legal parking, while the 1,030 feet after that would become a no parking zone.

But residents believed the parking and safety problem would just move further down the street instead of being fixed all together.

“The message that the board got was that (the residents) wanted no parking on the whole west side of the street,” village mayor Bob Green said.

Village attorney Michael Byrne said that after the board received three petitions from the residents, it was clear that they would rather lose their right to park on the side of the street in order to increase their neighborhood's safety.

The resolution also shortened the village's all-night winter parking restrictions which are meant to keep the streets clear for snowplows. Parking on all village streets and parking lots will now be restricted from 2 to 7 a.m., between Nov. 5 and April 1.

Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net