AHOSKIE – Motorists seeking parking spots in the area of Roanoke-Chowan Hospital will soon find less space available.

On Tuesday, members of the Ahoskie Town Council approved two new no parking zones, one each on Curtis and Myers streets. Both areas are within two blocks of the hospital’s Emergency Room.

The new area on Curtis Street will completely end all curbside parking on that stretch of roadway between Memorial Drive and Sunset Street. With the current exception of six spaces on the east side of Curtis Street, there are No Parking signs on the length of that road behind the hospital.

Town Manager Tony Hammond suggested designating the entire two-block stretch of Curtis Street behind R-CH as a no parking zone.

“The large trucks making deliveries to the hospital use Curtis Street,” Hammond said. “The vehicles parked in those six spaces force those trucks to make wide turns to gain entry to the hospital’s delivery area. When those trucks swing wide, they travel into the yard of one resident, resulting in damage to the yard. The town also lost a water meter in that routine as one truck ran over it in the yard.”

Hammond said the trucks simply did not have enough room to maneuver due to the parked vehicles.

The Town Manager also recommended making both sides of Myers Street (the portion between Curtis Street and Pembroke Ave.) as no parking zones. Currently, parking is permitted on the south side of Myers Street.

Councilman Malcolm Copeland motioned for the approval of both recommendations. The motion passed without objection.

There was no timetable discussed on when the new No Parking signs would be erected.