The parking problem in Brighton Park, a Jewish neighborhood
in Manchester, went from bad to worse when traffic experts
decided to reduce the number of permitted parking spaces on
the main artery, making it difficult for Jewish residents to
reach important destinations.
Increasing traffic congestion has led local transportation
experts to come up with creative solutions to the problem.
One idea was to limit the availability of parking to deter
drivers from coming to the area. But the plan failed to
anticipate the serious problem for Jewish prayer-goers.
The new law took effect at the beginning of February. Jewish
organizers circulated a petition beforehand and tried to
persuade several city councilmen, but to no avail reports the
Jewish Tribune.
Three busy botei knesses and a yeshiva are located on
one section of the street and further down is a large
residential building and Beis Knesses Machzikei Hadas. The
Machzikei Hadas Community Center has a large parking lot for
various kehilloh services, including a matzoh bakery.
The shul draws an estimated 1,000 mispallelim every
day, from dawn to midnight, most of whom arrive by car from
various parts of the city.
Those who arrive for Shacharis during peak morning
hours are forced to cope with a parking lot that fills to
capacity before their eyes. As soon as the parking lot is
full they have to begin searching for a parking space nearby.
Soon long lines of cars appear the length of the street and
on side streets as well. The reduction in the number of
parking spaces could bring a concomitant reduction in the
number of shul-goers.
