Copying Somerville sweeping policies to Cambridge?

[fappyheet.livejournal.com]

I live just outside Davis on the Cambridge side of the line and have a lesser of two evils question. Somerville apparently adopted a policy to give $50 sweeping tickets, but not tow violating cars. How would people suggest promoting a similar change to the City of Cambridge?

Due to early focus on work Wed. morning, I missed moving my car for street sweeping and it's gone to a Cambridge tow yard. That means a trip to the yard, more than $100 to retrieve the car, AND pay a ticket that's $30 or so. (Old news to many previous "parking" posters.) A single $50 ticket would be SO much better than this. Are people familiar with what Somerville considered in making this change to the books, or what pushed them to make this decision?

Comments

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

yeah, it'd be better, but why not just read the signs and not park there. cambridge sweeps twice per month, because one side is the first monday and the other is the second friday, or vice versa, or whatever the hell it says on the signs that are everywhere. they also drive a truck around blaring it out of a bullhorn thing morning of.

and getting my car back from the cambridge yard was way easier and cheaper than that time i had it towed from tj maxx in allston on my birthday.

[fappyheet.livejournal.com]

True, everyone's situation with parking is their own, but the Somerville policy seems SO obviously better than Cambridge's way of dealing with things. A read through the "parking" tagged articles included multiple situations where people have to deal with damage from the tow process or an extremely drawn-out resolution to the ticket and retrieval. If Somerville found a single $50 ticket a much improved deterrent, as someone said above, I'm willing to promote this change however a person can with the city of Cambridge. This isn't a screed against the terrorist menace of street sweeping or just cursing the darkness.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

well, i also thought the point of towing was so that then they could clean the street there. i know i personally would be more inclined to say "oh well, fuck it" if i knew my car would at least be there when i got back.

[srakkt.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there's the point that the reason they sweep in the first place is to do things like keep drains clear, which winds up being much better than flooded basements.