Here’s something to be thankful for…
The ban on overnight parking has been lifted from today through Sunday, resuming Monday, according to a citywide phone call from Mayor Warren’s office.
Does anybody remember if this is regular procedure?
Overnight parking ban suspended for holiday weekend
by Gail Spector | Nov 22, 2017 | parking | 14 comments
They did it last year but only for the night of Thanksgiving, IIRC.
Can the the Mayor legally do this?
Is anyone ever happy? The Police do this EVERY year for the entire weekend and yes, it’s legal! Just be thankful and stop bitching and questioning everything! Happy Thanksgiving.
@TheWholeTruth
I wasn’t bitching. Just curious.
Last year it was for Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving Day (https://patch.com/massachusetts/newton/newton-puts-hold-overnight-parking-restrictions-thanksgiving).
The full weekend is a welcome expansion (naturally I think that the full winter, barring snow emergencies, would be even more welcome, but we’ve covered that elsewhere).
I should add: I don’t recall the ban ever being lifted for a holiday in any other year (going back to 2004), though I could be mistaken there.
Every single day, for no good reason, the Arbitrary Parking Ban hurts residents. Undeniably, it has a disparate impact on lower income residents. But alas, when the penalty of the Arbitrary Parking Ban reaches beyond these residents, it gets suspended by the mayor. Personally, I question the legalities of the selective enforcement of the Arbitrary Parking Ban. More to come on this point after the holidays. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.
Doug, I also don’t remember it being lifted until last year. I’ve been here since 2005.
And Tom, that’s a really good point that I hadn’t even considered. Looking forward to hearing more later. I’ve been sharing the Jess’s data with everyone I know in Newton.
If the city is going to impose a parking ban on Nov. 15, then waive it for four days a week or so later shouldn’t we, at minimum, just start the seasonal ban after Thanksgiving weekend instead? That just seems like common sense.
I find it adorable that people who bought more cars than they have parking spaces for think they are capable of creating a parking strategy for the entire City.
I find it less than adorable that people who live in neighborhoods with long driveways and garages think they are capable of creating a parking strategy for the entire City.
@David M – I live in a neighborhood where most of the houses were built before cars existed. Now you might say “too bad, you should have figured that out before you moved to that neighborhood. If you want to own a car move to a different neighborhood”. … but that would be just silly.
Hmmmm. When they say through Sunday resuming Monday do they mean last night since it was Sunday betweeen 2am and 6am?
a bit late jumping in here –
Bought a house 4 years ago that did not have a driveway – not because I want to show off my peeling 2004 honda to the neighborhood, but because that is all we could afford. We were assured by the listing agent that a nearby business would rent us a spot or we can apply for a permit to build a driveway.
Fastforward 4 years, fine goes from $5 to $25 (that’s a 400% increase!!!).
Nearby business doesn’t want the liability of renting us a spot.
City planning committee rejects our driveway application because of a neighbor that lives over 1/2 mile away from us wants to keep Newton a “garden city” …