Orleans Police Chief Recommends Parking Restrictions for Nauset Heights

ORLEANS – Orleans selectmen heard concerns from Police Chief Scott MacDonald and Natural Resources Manager Nathan Sears last week on traffic and safety problems on Doane Way and Priscilla Road.

There are six parking spaces at the Nauset Harbor estuary at the end of Doane Way and eight available at Priscilla Beach, which leads to heavy congestion in the summer season.

There are even instances of people parking along the road and parking on front lawns.

This also means those parking on the roads are avoiding paying the access fees to Nauset Beach, alongside impeding traffic and emergency vehicles.

MacDonald said that he did not want to overstep his boundaries as police chief and requested that a bylaw be enacted to help deal with the issue.

“I just can’t go out and erect a no-parking sign under an emergency declaration and extend that for a long period of time,” MacDonald told the board.

“We would need the support of the board and a bylaw.”

Temporary residential parking only restrictions were used from June 15 through September 15 on both Cove Road and River Road and MacDonald and Sears voiced their satisfaction with the results.

MacDonald and Sears both recommend that similar restrictions be used on Doane Way and Priscilla Road to deal with the traffic issues.

However, MacDonald advised against a permanent no-parking restriction along these roads as it would negatively impact residents.

“You don’t want permanent no-parking on these streets because it puts me in a difficult situation. If you have someone in the neighborhood who wants to have a party and have a couple vehicles in front of their house, technically they’re in violation. So these temporary prohibitions work much better as needed,” said MacDonald.

Town Administrator John Kelly said that the board has expanded ability beyond emergencies to create regulation that would allow the police chief to post and deal with the traffic issue without having to amend the bylaw further.

MacDonald hopes to have a system ready for the next summer season.

About Grady Culhane

Grady Culhane is a Cape Cod native from Eastham. He studied media communications at Cape Cod Community College and joined the CapeCod.com News Center in 2019.



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