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Union Square Parking Situation
Hi Everyone,
As most of us know, the city is implementing major changes with regards to parking in the city. In the latest amendment to these changes, most of the streets in and around Union Square will be either metered parking or 2hr limit free parking instead of resident only. I understand that this is necessary for the businesses. However, it does not improve the parking situation for residents in the area and may actually make the problem worse. The major burden will be placed on those residents who live near the 2hr free parking since most patrons visiting the square will surely chose a free 2hr space over a metered space. And most of these free 2hr spaces on on the edges of the business district where most of the residents live. This means that 2hr free parking spaces (a.k.a. resident parking) will fill up before metered parking. Residents will be pushed out of these spaces and forced to park at a meter. One suggestion I have to make this fair for residents is to allow residents to park at meters for free in their own neighborhoods. For example, a resident with a Zone 5 parking sticker can park at a meter in Zone 5 without paying (at least between the hours of 5pm - 6am when most of us are parking here). I agree that if I chose to visit a business in another part of Somerville I should have to pay to park at a meter. But I don't think the same rule should apply at my own home. To me, it seems obvious that I shouldn't have to pay to park at a meter in front of my own home when I am a Somerville resident and taxpayer and have purchased a residential parking sticker. Mimi, I'm sure you have research this issue extensively and I'd like your opinion on this. I'm not sure how to convince the city to look into this option further. I wrote an email to the Traffic and Parking commission about a week ago, but I haven't received a response. I'd also like to get an idea if others are in favor of this suggestion. What is everyone else's opinion on this? The effect of these changes remains to be seen, but regardless of the outcome I believe this suggestion is worth investigating. Thanks for your input.
Ryan
As most of us know, the city is implementing major changes with regards to parking in the city. In the latest amendment to these changes, most of the streets in and around Union Square will be either metered parking or 2hr limit free parking instead of resident only. I understand that this is necessary for the businesses. However, it does not improve the parking situation for residents in the area and may actually make the problem worse. The major burden will be placed on those residents who live near the 2hr free parking since most patrons visiting the square will surely chose a free 2hr space over a metered space. And most of these free 2hr spaces on on the edges of the business district where most of the residents live. This means that 2hr free parking spaces (a.k.a. resident parking) will fill up before metered parking. Residents will be pushed out of these spaces and forced to park at a meter. One suggestion I have to make this fair for residents is to allow residents to park at meters for free in their own neighborhoods. For example, a resident with a Zone 5 parking sticker can park at a meter in Zone 5 without paying (at least between the hours of 5pm - 6am when most of us are parking here). I agree that if I chose to visit a business in another part of Somerville I should have to pay to park at a meter. But I don't think the same rule should apply at my own home. To me, it seems obvious that I shouldn't have to pay to park at a meter in front of my own home when I am a Somerville resident and taxpayer and have purchased a residential parking sticker. Mimi, I'm sure you have research this issue extensively and I'd like your opinion on this. I'm not sure how to convince the city to look into this option further. I wrote an email to the Traffic and Parking commission about a week ago, but I haven't received a response. I'd also like to get an idea if others are in favor of this suggestion. What is everyone else's opinion on this? The effect of these changes remains to be seen, but regardless of the outcome I believe this suggestion is worth investigating. Thanks for your input.
Ryan
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