For the first time in the 120 years of its history, there is no parking in Bristol within half a mile — paid, unpaid, off street, on street — of the ferry landing.”

Robin Weber, Prudence Island resident

PORTSMOUTH — The Town Council is reaching out to Bristol in hopes of finding a solution to the shortage of parking spaces downtown for Prudence Island ferry passengers.

The council voted unanimously on Feb. 10 to request the establishment of an “interlocal cooperation commission” with the Town of Bristol to find parking spaces to replace those that have disappeared recently. Bristol hasn’t exactly been responsive to Portsmouth’s parking concerns in the past, however, so whether any progress is made remains to be seen.

Prudence Island resident Robin Weber made the request on behalf of the Bristol Parking Workgroup, a committee of concerned islanders she says is trying to find a solution to the parking “crisis” in Bristol. She's also contacted the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office and other officials about the matter.

“And I say crisis specifically because for the first time in the 120 years of its history, there is no parking in Bristol within half a mile — paid, unpaid, off street, on street — of the ferry landing,” Weber told the council. (Captain Halsey Chase first operated a ferry between Bristol and Prudence Island in 1905.)

In 2023 islanders learned that two parking lots owned by Robin Rug on Thames Street in Bristol — one managed by Robin Rug, the other by the Town of Bristol — were closing due to a new, high-end residential development being proposed. The lots, which had about 100 parking spaces for ferry passengers, are across the street from the Bristol landing, and only a short walk to the ferry.

Now, ferry passengers are struggling to find parking anywhere near the Bristol dock. Weber said there is a paid lot on privately owned land about a half-mile away from the landing, and resident-only overnight parking zones are in place throughout the downtown waterfront district.

The current conditions present a hardship for anyone who uses the passenger ferry, Weber said. 

“It certainly prevents access to our homes,” she said. “There is a segment of our population which is really, really struggling with this. We know there are people who have sold their homes, there are people who have considered selling their homes, we know people who have had to change jobs, have had to take early retirement, have had to find of-island accommodations so they can make it to work. This is a big deal to our community.”

The only way to find relief, she said, is an interlocal agreement with Bristol. “That would at least give us some representative within the town and also give us an opportunity for us to express our needs,” she said.

She reminded the council that Portsmouth’s Comprehensive Community Plan states “you will work with the Town of Bristol to ensure continued long-term access to the Prudence Island ferry terminal facility.”

“Which we have done,” Council President Keith Hamilton said. “We still have access to the terminal facility, but unfortunately not parking.”

To which Weber responded, “You can’t have a passenger ferry without parking. It’s not possible.”

ACLU contacted

Islander Shari Weinberger, on behalf of the Bristol Parking Workgroup, wrote to the Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), accusing the Town of Bristol of “pinpointed illegal discrimination” which has caused financial and physical hardship.

“The Town of Bristol’s blatant disregard of disability protection laws, unequal treatment — which is illegal under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution — and denial of due process, among other violations is egregious,” Weinberger stated in her letter to the ACLU.

She requested the ACLU review actions taken by Bristol “to systematically, and with malice, reduce access to the Prudence Island Ferry, violating citizen’s civil rights. The underrepresentation of Prudence Islanders at the municipal level in two separate towns, and from the State House, has clearly not protected our rights, nor served this small community well.”

Weinberger also took a shot at the Town of Portsmouth, stating it has “refused to help the interests of its citizens, in the face of actions of the neighboring Town of Bristol.”

Hamilton said he took issue with that statement. 

“We can’t interfere with decisions made by the Town of Bristol,” he said, adding he’d be more than happy to request a cooperative commission, but that Bristol would also have to agree.

“I don’t know if there’s a willingness on their side,” he said. “It’s going to take two to tango.”

Weber reminded the council that Prudence Island is not just a weekend getaway. “I’ve lived on the island full-time for 25 years. I have a family member who commuted every day for 38 years on that ferry, and he couldn’t have done it if he couldn’t park on the ferry parking lot, she said, noting the man had to retire after the Robin Rug lot was shut down.

“It is critical that we have parking,” she said.