Parking: It's All About Access

By Joseph A. Curtatone (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) When the news spread across the city that the Traffic Commission had authorized a move in August to citywide permit parking, a rise in meter rates to one dollar an hour, and the extension of metered parking hours to 10 p.m. in Davis and Magoun Squares (and 8 p.m. everywhere else) - the aldermen and I started to hear plenty of comments. Some of those comments - especially from business owners of all types and sizes - raised legitimate questions that our Traffic and Parking Department had already been planning to address. We heard the concern that a 10 p.m. shut-down time and a two-hour meter limit were incompatible - that customers wanted to be able to park at a metered space and walk away for the evening, even if that evening included drinks, dinner and a two-hour movie. We heard the concern that business employees wouldn't be able to find a place to park for an evening shift if meters ran until 10 p.m. We also heard about business owners who are accustomed to parking on unpermitted streets but can't get to their offices, shops and lofts if every street is posted for residents only. We even heard from some businesses that aren't in our traditional business districts and whose owners feel that they depend on unpermitted parking spots on streets like Highland Avenue and Elm Street in order to accommodate their evening customers. Now, all of these are fair issues to raise in the context of the changes we are making, and they have, by and large, been raised in a reasonable way. There are also good solutions to all of these potential problems. To help develop those solutions, and to help work through other issues around these changes, I have created a Parking Solutions Task Force (PSTF) that will bring representatives from the business community, the Board of Aldermen and city officials together to review pertinent information and think about how to address concerns about these new policies. I have also asked Mark Chase, an entrepreneur and Tufts-educated urban planner who has studied urban parking models and strategies, to lend his expertise to the PSTF. By the time we move ahead on the new rates, hours and resident permit policies, I have no doubt that, with the help of the PSTF, we will be able to address most - perhaps all - of the issues that have come up. For example: if we extend the maximum time for evening parking; if we provide kiosks in the lots (so that patrons can pay with paper bills and credits cards as well as park cards and quarters); if we expand the use of business permits so that businesses can help their employees (and the owners themselves) find parking; and if we put meters near businesses in residential areas, but let Somerville residents with permits use the metered spaces without paying, we can address many of the objections already raised. That said, I think it's reasonable to ask interested parties to give the new task force a chance to do its work. They should have their recommendations before the end of the month, and I expect that they will be thorough, thoughtful and fair. I also think it's very important to remember that a primary goal behind these policy changes is to improve the availability of parking in the City of Somerville. Understandably, everyone wants free, or at least subsidized, parking. Businesses want it for their employees and customers; residents want it for themselves and their visitors. But Somerville is, by a wide margin, the most densely populated city in New England. Except in one or two specific locations, we don't have the big open lots and empty curbs associated with suburban sprawl. Parking is a scarce and valuable resource here, and we need to treat it that way. Right now, our business districts need to get more out of their existing parking spaces through better pricing policy and increased turnover. In Davis and other busy squares, we need to take steps to make sure that visitors can find a space when they need one - otherwise they'll stop showing up. Now, some out-of-towners have already written to say that they not only expect parking, but they expect it to be free after 8 p.m. as well. I don't think that's actually true: we may be in a recession, but paying a dollar an hour to park in a walkable entertainment district like Davis Square is not an undue burden - provided you can find a space and pay for it conveniently. If we can find the right balance of availability and convenience to go with a reasonable price, I think we'll actually be helping our businesses and their customers. As for citywide permit parking: right now, Somerville's taxpayers are providing free parking for hundreds of people who don't register their cars here, pay excise tax here or participate in the permit system. That's not right in the best of times: during a fiscal crisis, it's totally unacceptable. And for those folks who say, "This is all about the money," my answer is that these policies stand on their own merits, but we can't afford to pass up any legitimate revenue opportunities at a time when the state has cut Somerville's local aid by 30 percent. Of course we need the money - but we also need to manage our parking to maximize supply for residents and businesses alike. If we work together on this, and show some patience and creativity, I think we can do it all.

Comments

[John Doe #66]

In terms of the resident permit issue, the Mayor is trying to kill an ant with a nuclear weapon. I have lived in the Prospect Hill neighborhood for 7 years now and parking has never been an issue. Even on weekend nights when people have guests, I have never had to park more than 3 blocks from my house.

Now we're being told there's a crisis? Sorry, but the facts- at least in my neighborhood- don't bear that out. The crisis is going to be me or my neighbors deciding on the spur of the moment we want to invite friends over for a cookout but can't because, well, gosh, we only have a handful of guest permits and we'd rather not have our friends risk a $50 ticket or a $200 tow job from Pat's.

The Mayor and the T&PC are creating an air of crisis where there is none.

[the evil genious]

When is Joey going to come clean about the money he has saved in the "rainy" day account (8 million) Stop hiring joe! Stop spending money! The mayor is a liberal spender, and then wants to act like a conservative and increase health care like a republican. Is joey a liberal or a conservative? This guy keeps on increasing fines which is effecting the quality of life for somerville residents. Stop using scare tactics with residents, employees and the board of alderman! Joe is taking advantage of the bad economy forcing unions to do more with less! As tranfaglia stated to many, "if joe had it his way, he would have city employees paying 60% of their health care". This guy is a union busta! I hope people realize this when he runs state wide. He wants unions to take less, although he spends lucratively. This guy has all the union presidents fooled.

[smoke and mirrors]

Can somebody please tell me how many times is this mayor going to raise fines and fee's? Our property taxes are high, are school system is sub-par, the police and fire department is over staffed, the city is spending way too much money on sidewalks and streets considering the economy, and the mayor has over 8 million dollers saved in the rainy day fund. The parking fee's in this city are ridiculous, and it appears that the city hires every retard in the city to enforce the regulations. (the mayor is handing out jobs left and right, but yet wants to increase fines and healthcare) When is it going to stop

[Patricia]

I think you are being short sighted in your analysis.

"As for citywide permit parking: right now, Somerville's taxpayers are providing free parking for hundreds of people who don't register their cars here, pay excise tax here or participate in the permit system."

You fail to mention that these non permit parking spaces are also used by residents. As a resident of somerville I pay excise tax etc, and on occasion have visitors who come to town (and shop in our stores, and eat in our restaurants) who park in these non permit parking spots. 2 visitor passes is just a joke, forget having a dinner party!

Don't be short sighted and so dollar driven that you forget quality of life for residents who do pay somerville money!

[7.5 Million in rainy day fund]

I give the Mayor kudos for stashing away over 7.5 million dollars in the rainy day fund.

It is unfortunate that this Mayor is using scare tactics to achieve his agenda. Tax and Spend! Increase fines! Hire more people! Ask current employess to do more with less! Take 0% pay increase. The mayor is taking advantage of the current economy and financial status of the city by using scare tactics.

DKG was the last mayor to play that game, and look what happend to her!

The mayor needs to stop playing games with the board of alderman and the unions. Shame on the board of alderman for buying into his manipulation of the budget.

The mayor is once again increasing fines and fees! Stop hiring! Stop Taxing! Cut back on 311 and Summer Stat. Get rid of Summer jobs. Close useless substations! We don't need anymore fireman! DPW workers are bumping into each other! The school system has more aids than they know what to do with! Get rid of the useless employees in your office! Does Edward Bean need all the employees in his office? Does OHCD need all the employees in their office?

Start using the rainy day fund! The mayor should have exhausted the rainy day fund prior to increasing health care on retired employees!

Get rid of the school com. and 4 alderman at large (who we dont need).

[Len Tower Jr.]

I urge the City to NOT extend the Residential Permit Parking to all
city streets.

* Sadly, extending Residential Permit Parking to all the streets in
Somerville, will undo the reason the program was created for.

I live on Porter Street, near the Porter Square subway. Permit
parking was put in place, so residents near the subway stations
could be insured of finding parking near their homes. Commuters was
driving onto our streets, and taking all the parking!

Now the city has insured that commuters from all over Somerville
will be able to come into my neighborhood, and prevent those who
live in my neighborhood from being able to park near our homes.

Please, don't adjust the program, with new kinds of permits. For
example, that can only park in each neighboorhood. This just gets
each driver, less value for his $$$. Please just go back to the
original goal.

* Due to Cambridge having permit parking, perhaps some of the
unpermitted streets near the Cambridge/Somerville city line need to
be switched to parking. But that should be done on a
street-by-street basis, with input from those residents, and the
ward alderman.

* I miss the Somerville I moved into in 1981 that just worked, with no
need to go to city offices to pay for more and more special permits.

* I would be willing to pay a reasonable amount more property tax,
instead of being nickel and dimed to death with the new kinds of
permits, fees, and endless visits to city offices to get and pay for
them.

Why can't the politicians of Somerville, find the vision and voice
to show the City and it's voters a better way than this nickel and
diming?

Could you please forward this letter to the Mayor's special task force
on the parking program changes. I read about it in the papers, but
can't find an email address for it.

Thank You,
Leonard Tower Jr.