Likening themselves to St. George battling the dragon, angry Towson merchants are taking up a fight against a York Road parking ban they see as another blow against them in their struggle for survival.
Customers don't want to park in multilevel garages and walk to their stores and restaurants, they told State Highway Administration officials and their two state legislators at a meeting Tuesday night.
"We've been raped. . . . Towson's dysfunctional by government planning," said LeRoy Y. Haile Jr. of the 73-year-old real estate agency bearing his name on West Chesapeake Avenue. "We've got to make Towson user-friendly."
Jim Smith, owner of Subway sandwiches in the 400 block of York Road, said, "I do not want parking restricted." He talked of patrons who bought a $1.69 submarine sandwich, only to find they got a surprise topping -- a $20 parking ticket while they ran into the shop to pick up the food. "You're not going to see them again," he said.
The restrictions, imposed April 15 by the State Highway Administration, prohibit parking along the west side of York Road from Joppa Road to Towsontown Boulevard in the evenings, Saturdays and Sundays. A ban is being considered for the east side of the 300, 400 and 500 blocks of York Road.
Currently, no parking is allowed during the day.
"We need parking meters, so people can get in and out," said Dick Rudolph, founder of the 48-year-old Towson Bootery, a shoe store on York Road.
"Parking is critical to retail," Mr. Smith said. "It's another barrier the merchant has to overcome, and then you have to compete with all the stores in the mall just a couple of blocks away."
Charles R. "Dick" Harrison, an SHA district engineer, said the agency went ahead with the west-side parking ban after receiving endorsements from the Towson Development Corp., a nonprofit community improvement organization; the Towson Partnership, a local consortium of government, business, community and academic officials; and the Towson Business Association (TBA), which came under fire for its support of the ban from several business people at the meeting.
"I'm upset. . . . I don't feel they [TBA] do anything for me as a small retailer," said Mr. Rudolph's son, Alex, owner of Towson Bootery.
"This is not about putting people out of business," said John Holman, president of the TBA. "One thing we can all agree on is we want more business in Towson."
The merchants also said they have seen an increase in speeding cars since parking was removed along York Road. "I didn't move here to live on a freeway," said chef David Yantis, formerly of Houston, who recently relocated here to work at the soon-to-be-opened Flutie Garcia's restaurant in the 400 block of York Road.
The SHA hopes traffic will be slowed by a roundabout, or traffic circle, being designed for the congested juncture where York meets Dulaney Valley, East Joppa and West Joppa roads and Allegheny Avenue.
"The roundabout will be an automatic speed control," said Darrell Wiles, an SHA assistant district engineer of traffic.
