ST. MICHAELS, Md. - Parking has always been a big issue during the tourist season in St. Michaels. Residents on Cherry Street are fed up with people parking in front of their driveways and even getting too close to fire hydrants.
Downtown is particularly bustling this time of year, not only with residents but also tourists. The is problem is not enough parking. People visiting from out of town are parking illegally and many residents say enough is enough.
"Our visitors and some of our local people were coming in and not realizing this was a driveway because of the swell of the apron and parking vehicles, and it caused problems for the tenants and businesses here," said St. Michaels Police Chief Miguel Dennis.
The south side of Cherry Street gets a lot of traffic because it leads to two popular spots, Jo Jo's Cupcakes and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. It is hard to tell where the sidewalk ends and a driveway starts.
"Here it just looks like it's part of the sidewalk it looks like this part is just part of the curb, so I can see why people would mistake it for a curb and not a driveway," said Robert Brant of Washington, D.C.
The town's economy relies heavily on the tourist traffic. Mark Chew owns a restaurant in St. Michaels. He said if the locals do not like where visitors park, they should consider finding somewhere else to live.
"We all have a choice where we want to live. If you don't like it, move," said Chew.
The town is stepping in to help curb the problem by installing new signs to help drivers see exactly where they can and cannot park.
Since the new "no parking" signs were installed earlier this week, residents said they have already seen improvements.
