Snow/Parking Update

[tomchampion.livejournal.com]

We just sent this out via Connect CTY:

While the city has NOT declared a snow emergency, the DPW is continuing to salt and sand roads and to remove snow at major intersections and city squares. Despite parking scarcity, residents must NOT park within twenty feet of intersections, obstruct the street, block hydrants or handicapped spaces, or violate resident permit parking. Residents and businesses are also reminded that they are REQUIRED to remove snow and ice from their sidewalks and to put down sand to improve traction. If you do not have access to sand, you may receive a free supply by bringing an empty container of five gallons or less to the DPW yard at 1 Franey Road. To further assist residents, the city will continue to provide overnight parking from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. in designated city and school lots through and including Thursday night. Residents currently in legal curbside spaces have until Thursday morning at 8 a.m. to dig out and move their cars before the city resumes ticketing for parking over 48 hours. Thank you for assisting the city in clearing our roadways. If you need additional information, please visit the city’s website or call 311.

Just so LJ folks know, I have since learned that some 48-hour rule tickets may have been issued by the police . This isn't their fault -- they were authorized to do it -- but anyone who has received a 48-hour violation in the past 12 hours should call 311 right away. They should also PLEASE move their vehicles as soon as humanly possible -- we'll start enforcing on Thursday at 8 a.m., but earlier compliance would be very helpful.

PS Thanks to knowledgeable LJers schpahky and mamajoan for clarifying that the city will continue to street-sweep as and where we are able (we do tht all winter), but we won't be ticketing.
Tags: local government, parking, snow emergency


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Comments

[tomchampion.livejournal.com]

I actually think the value argument IS important. Specific responses to your points follow:

1. The non-anecdotal evidence suggests that, except for post snow emergency enforcement, the great majority of 48 hour tickets are issued because of phone-in complaints from neighbors. (I don't assert that this is 100 percent true, just generally true.) When T&P gets these calls, they still wait forty-eight hours before issuing the citation (so that they're not just taking the word of someone in the neighborhood who covets the space).

2. It may not benefit the neighborhood as a whole, but it keeps more spaces at play in more locations. (There's a great space right outside my door. It's wonderful to have visitors pull in there, put our visitor permit placard in the window and dash in. I can't keep someone else from parking there, but I sure do like it when they move on and that great space opens up again -- even if "moving on" means only that they shifted across the street.

3. The emerging response to this problem is the Zipcar. The city has worked closely with Zipcar in the past, and I know that the mayor is very open to the idea of expanding Zipcar locations. As the company says in their marketing, "wheels when you need them" is an approach that provides cars to those who wish to minimize their carbon footprint but need a transportation option that falls in between renting for the weekend and taking the T (or biking).

4. Curbside "dwell time" has real value, if not so much as a full-tme rented space. You (and Ron) may believe that 48 hours is too small a window, but I would argue that 14 days is way too long.

What do others think is the right length of time -- that is, fairest to all parties?

[aquaflame16.livejournal.com]

re: 1.: I'm glad to know this about the enforcement. Maybe it will make me a bit less paranoid about re-parking in the same spot, etc.

I could certainly accept (not that it's up to me, obviously, this is just my opinion) something in between 48-hours and 14 days as fair to most parties. I mentioned 14-days just as an example. Personally I think something like 7 days would be great. Even 4 or 5 days would be a whole lot better than 2.

[kennygster.livejournal.com]

I think 48 hours is right. Especially since you're essentially waiting 48 hours after a resident complaint before ticketing so that's giving the person at least 4 days (probably many more days).

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

I don't have a problem with the 48-hour rule because I don't think it is heavily enforced unless someone is parked in such a way as to annoy the neighbors. My street (Willow Ave.) in not a resident-only street. Anyone can park there. I see people all the time who are parked for days and days in one spot. Unless they are parked in such a way that makes it difficult to drive down the street or get into a driveway, I don't think most people would report it.

I personally would not want a big ol' SUV parked on the street beside by driveway (even if it was parked legally) for 14 days because it would make it too hard to see when I back out of the driveway. After a couple of days, I think I'd want it gone, and I'd hope for a Mini-Cooper to take its place.

[docorion.livejournal.com]

I'm willing to go with '14 days is too long', but also agree that '48 hours is too little'. Somewhere between 5-7 days seems right to me; I use my car little, but usually need to use it every 5 days or so (groceries, laundry (no machine in my place; I go to a laundromat or my partner's house). I hear the argument about fair use, and I buy it, but 48 hours seems a bit short to me.

What I do now is move the car every couple of days and grumble. I wouldn't grumble about 5 days because I usually need to move it that often anyway.

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

3. The emerging response to this problem is the Zipcar. The city has worked closely with Zipcar in the past, and I know that the mayor is very open to the idea of expanding Zipcar locations. As the company says in their marketing, "wheels when you need them" is an approach that provides cars to those who wish to minimize their carbon footprint but need a transportation option that falls in between renting for the weekend and taking the T (or biking).

we have been using zipcar since our car was basically totaled over Labor Day weekend by the kids moving out next door hitting it with their rental truck. It has been incredibly convenient and after looking at the budget, very cost efficient (cheaper than owning the car was). I would love for the city to get more cars. There are tons around the Davis area, though, and we have only once had to go more than a few blocks to get a car.

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

We've had the discussion about the 48-hour rule here before (maybe someone can dig it up), and I've spoken with Rebekah about it. The ideal solution from my point of view is zoned parking where you're allowed to park near your house for significantly more than 48-hours, but a 48 (or 24 or 36)-hour rule is strictly enforced for cars from elsewhere in the city. Rebekah tells me that this is a political non-starter.

Barring that, I think the best response would be to formalize the resident complaint rule as follows:

1. Annoying Parker (AP) parks right in front of Annoyed Neighbor's (AN) house
2. AN calls 311 to complain
3. T&P leaves a warning notice on AP's car
4. 48 hours (or whatever) passes
5. If AP's car hasn't moved, T&P writes a ticket
6. 24 hours (or whatever) passes
7. Return to 5 for additional tickets

Enforcement without the need for a complaint or a warning notice could be retained following snow, to allow the streets to be cleared.

With this system, residents don't have to worry about returning to the same spot, and there's explicit notice for anyone who hasn't just dumped their car on the street, but AN still has some recourse. It's a little bit like the system for abandoned bicycles with notice before ticketing or removal.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

I know this discussion is old, but I wanted to point out that when my GF and I decided to buy a condo, this law popped into my head as a reason to avoid Somerville (and we bought a place just across the border in Cambridge). It certainly wasn't the only one, but it added some weight. It is such an incredibly irresponsible law from an environmental standpoint and I am fairly certain it annoys and harms more citizens than it "helps."

The street sweeping schedule should be enough to keep track of abandoned cars. Residents of Somerville are either direct tax payers or paying rent on a tax-paying property. 15 feet of curb space is not asking for much.