Tensions flared in Bridgeport Sunday as local leaders locked horns over Bridgeport's new commercial vehicle parking ordinance, which exposed a sharp divide within the city council.

The friction centers on a proposal by Councilwoman Eneida Martinez to exempt school bus drivers from the strict new parking restrictions.

The move drew swift and fierce criticism from Councilwoman Maria Pereira, who argues that carving out exceptions defeats the entire purpose of the legislation. She adds that this will leave local neighborhoods crowded with large vehicles.

"Eneida Martinez is a co-chair of [the] ordinance, she co-sponsored the bill, she voted for it four times," Pereira said, blasting the proposal. "So what's happening today is incredibly disappointing."

Under the current ordinance, parking commercial vehicles on city streets carries hefty fines of up to $250.

Martinez defended her push for the exemption, arguing that the legislation was never intended to target local school transportation whom she described as "our hard-working neighbors who are just trying to make a living -- they're not truckers illegally parking big rigs on our streets."