Remember the big brouhaha last May over proposed parking rules that would not allow you to park at the same meter, the same block or even the same city parking lot — twice in the same day?
Well the City Council’s Public Safety and Transportation committee will discuss a new version of proposed changes to the city’s overtime parking rules on Weds. Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. and they’re certainly less restrictive but no doubt will still upset some folks.
The new ordinance would prevent you from feeding (with coins or the app) a meter once your original time has expired and instead you would have to move your vehicle to a different space.
In addition, if you’re parked in a non-metered space (in other words a spot with a sign that tells you how long you can park there) you would be required to move your vehicle to “a location beyond the nearest intersection or to a location outside off-street municipal parking lot.”
Here’s the full proposed changes. The public works memo includes some pretty good examples explaining just what it means
No person shall park a vehicle within a designated metered parking space or in a parking space within a time-restricted area for a longer consecutive period than the time limit specified or beyond the hours specified.
Vehicles parked within any metered parking space must be moved to a different parking space upon or before the expiration of the posted time limit.
Vehicles parked within any non-metered time-restricted parking space must be moved to a location beyond the nearest intersection or to a location outside an off-street municipal parking lot upon or before the expiration of the posted time limit, and may not return for two hours. require drivers to move their vehicle when a meter expires
I feel that there should be some sort of exemption to allow people or their guests to park on the block that they live not to exceed a maximum time-frame…maybe 12 houses. Permits might be tricky because it isn’t desireable that the permit would display the address and doing it by village is too broad. But maybe residents could appeal the ticket by showing proof of residential location and the ticket would be waived? Just a thought because within the villages many residents have tandem driveway or have guest who come to visit
Under at least one scenario, this change could increase greenhouse gas emissions and traffic flow problems over what would be emitted by allowing an affected owner to return every hour or two hours to feed an expired meter. A car emits no pollution when it’s parked and not moving. My own car gets great mileage on the open road, but guzzles a lot of gas each time I start it, or in situations when I move the vehicle short distances. I’ve analyzed these and related factors for the criteria pollutants (carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, oxidants and nitrogen oxides) where it was pretty evident that stopping and starting increased emissions by varying degrees depending on specific circumstances. I’m pretty certain the same would hold true for greenhouse emissions.
PS. I know, having a 12 year old Mercedes E Class is a bit heavy on emissions, but our second vehicle is an electric Smart Car which we use for most of our short distance driving.
The horror Bob Burke!! You have TWO vehicles?? You will be ex-communicated from Newton. 🙂
So does that mean we might as well delete the parking app that allows you to feed the meter from wherever you may be shopping, dining, etc.? The ones that feed the new parking meters the city quite recently purchased?
Jane, the parking app does not let you feed it once you’ve used up the maximum time allowed. You can feed it only if, say, you park in a 1-hour spot and start with 30 minutes, then want to add on another 30 minutes.
See what I know. I still use quarters. 😉
I hope they’d have adequate signage if this is what they do because I think a lot of people will be blindsided by this, especially people coming from other towns.
Boston already has a form of this. I got a ticket once using the app for the maximum time in a spot and then feeding the meter. 🙁
In all honesty, seemed like the the right result.
My son parked in the South End and used the app. When it ran out of time, he moved the car to another spot on the same block and used the app again and still got a ticket!
Tbh I don’t think there should be time restrictions, just a change in pricing. 2hours, one price, 3rd hour, price goes up etc. price signals really should take care of any issues of folks parking in an area too long…but I seem to remember some MA restriction on price changes for curb parking…(though garages do this to some degree, but discount long term parkers instead). I think expanding the pay by phone option to residential streets and removing the time limit as well would be beneficial (but would need to be coupled with residential permits I think…which would also be fine.) that all said I have little skin in this game as I don’t even own a car!
I think I am going to have to stop using my dentist in Newton Centre. Either that or uber to him. This just isn’t going to work when you are in a dentist’s chair!
The headline for this thread has been rewritten. The previous headline (Do follow leaders decide about watching parking meters) was a cultural reference that it appears no one understood.
OK carry on.