Tom Champion tries to justify parking changes

[ron_newman]

The Somerville Journal asked Tom Champion some questions about the new parking regulations, which were enacted without advance notice or democratic process by an unelected body, and are set to go into effect on August 1st.

Read the answers here:
Start saving: Parking meter rates and hours to increase, permit parking to expand citywide

(thanks to: Somerville Journal Blog)

(See also: very long DSLJ discussion from earlier this week
and Somerviile Chamber of Commerce's description of the changes)

Comments

[rainbow-spork.livejournal.com]

I have to say, now that I've read the details of the changes, i don't think it would have effected my pre-Davis-resident self all that much. Because I was always willing to drive to Davis and park there on any night *except* Friday or Saturday, because parking was pretty easy. But I'd always avoid driving there on Friday or Saturday, because you could never actually find a parking spot. And I can't help but wonder if the new meter rules will actually make it *easier* to find a parking spot, albeit slightly more annoying to actually keep that spot.

[ron_newman]

As a non-car-owner, they don't affect me personally at all*. Except to the extent that they hurt local businesses, possibly taking away their customers and causing some of them to close, and thereby removing some of the reasons that I like living here in the first place.

Generally, I feel that if something is not good for the Somerville Theatre, then it's not good for Davis Square and not good for the city.

*Edit: Actually they do, if they damage the economic health of the city's several bicycle shops. None of them have parking lots.

[mzrowan.livejournal.com]

Wow! Is it me, or did Champion not actually answer most of those questions? He just spouted a stock response. No answer to the issue of mass transportation, no answer to how this decision was reached other than "we're doing this because these other people said it's a good idea". That's not a justification!

And who are the Financial Advisory Committee? Are they just another part of the Somerville city bureaucracy?

[mzrowan.livejournal.com]

Ah, okay, answered my own question (http://somervillenews.typepad.com/the_somerville_news/2009/05/financial-advisory-committee-delivers-recommendations-on-actions-needed-to-ensure-somervilles-long-term-financial-sustainabi.html). Figured I'd post the link in case anyone else wants to know who's responsible for this.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Stock responses are what PR people are good for, and that's about it. It was pretty obnoxious, and I, too, would like to actually see -data- about these supposed studies that prove this is a super-keen useful idea.

[sonofabish.livejournal.com]

He really didn't compare Davis Square to downtown Boston, did he? Oh, wait, he did.

Which doesn't explain why the need for permits near Union Square. Or is US now the "Newbury Street of Somerville"?

Frankly, I hope some poor bastard who was moving to Somerville and chose a neighborhood precisely because there was no permit required and signed a lease now turns around and sues the everloving fuck out of the city.

Where are our Aldermen during all this? Is anyone standing up and saying "hey, wait a minute!"? Or are they all standing silently by?

You know, this just shows once and for all what a big fucking jerk-around all these "community meetings" are and how they're nothing but a milksop to give the impression we actually have a voice.

The only way we're going to change this madness is to vote every single person out of the city government the next election- get rid of them all. And Ron, if I'm still a resident of Somerville, I am totally writing you in for Mayor.

[ron_newman]

You know, this just shows once and for all what a big fucking jerk-around all these "community meetings" are and how they're nothing but a milksop to give the impression we actually have a voice.

I don't really agree, because when this community process is used it works pretty well. The problem here is that the process wasn't used at all.

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

another option is to organize to avoid Davis Square by car altogether. take the bus or the T when going there, and if you live in somerville, avoid getting a parking permit if you have any driveway space at all available.

if they don't get the revenue they're expecting from meters, and tickets, and permits, then they'll rethink their brand of crazy. it's all about squeezing more money out of folks.

[overstim.livejournal.com]

Ill sum up for everyone:

Q. Why is the city hiking parking costs and making it tough for residents already struggling in a recession? How does the city justify charging taxpayers more at this time?

A: Boston and Cambridge are already doing it.

Q: How do you justify making Somerville another Boston or Cambridge but without the adequate public transportation options those cities have?

A: Boston & Cambridge are already doing it

Q: Why are costs being hiked in the business districts where you need to attract more people, not deter them from coming there?

A: Turnover. It will make people leave faster after just buying waht they came for and not lingering. And then other people will come in and do the same thing.

Q: Why are loading zones being metered - how many and what locations?

A: Only in Davis, and only from 6pm-10pm.

Q: When was it deemed and who decided to make all city roads permit parking and why? What if residents on permit free roads do not want this - can they still petition the city to remain permit-free? How many permit free roads in the city will this affect?

A: The FAC report specifically recommended this change, which was endorsed by the Mayor’s Office and the Traffic and Parking Department.


Dont you love how he just doesnt bother answering half of the questions? How efficient!

[m00n.livejournal.com]

I have the same answer for all of these questions: The Somerville Theater.

ALL of the other areas cited (Harvard Square, Kendall Square, the Landmark on the Fenway, and the Loews on the Common) at least give non-residents the option of paying some (often very high) amount for almost guaranteed parking. Davis Square does not have such a facility, which means these new regulations would make it nearly impossible for someone to use a car to see a movie at the Somerville Theater. What's more, Davis Square is a much more food/restaurant-oriented, rather than retail-oriented business district, so high parking turnover would probably only benefit a small percentage of its businesses. Restaurants and the theater (which draws a lot of non-locals into the square so that they can then patronize other local businesses) would suffer considerably from making people leave to feed a meter after 2 hours. Increasing the limit to 4 hours would make this change substantially more tenable.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

that sucks. It may also drive parking woes from Magoun Sq. into my neighborhood over the line in Medford. Kiss the Somerville Theater goodbye.

[nathanjw]

I don't so much care what the first free parking space costs. The last few, though, should cost more like $10, $20, and $50/hour.

[anyee.livejournal.com]

I look forward to figuring out how to distribute 2 parking passes to more than 2 cars whenever I visit one friend in particular; she tends to have larger gatherings, but has a non-permit street. Not anymore!

Sorry, but the Fenway needs permit-only parking. Somerville doesn't.

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't live in Somerville, but so much for shopping, dining out, seeing movies, visiting friends, or going to parties there, I guess. Count me as one out-of-towner who used to spend money there and won't be doing so any more.

[docorion.livejournal.com]

For the record, I note that motorcycles are not subject to resident restrictions. How do I know this? Because I have one, it's always been parked in a resident spot without a sticker, and the one time I was ticketed I sent it in with the notation "Show me how to get a resident sticker for a motorcycle, and I will pay this and get one" and it was canceled.

I don't think they have a mechanism for putting resident stickers on motorcycles, so they just don't bother them. So in the summer (or whenever you're on the bike), you're likely safe.

[nalz.livejournal.com]

+1 (or 2 if you count my wife).

[bryant]

So. The parking changes are projected to raise about four million out of the seven million plus that Somerville will be short in 2010. Where do y'all want to find the four million or so? The 2009 budget is here -- we can check our suggestions to see if the money's really there or not. Which services don't we want?

At the moment, the police have agreed to a complete pay freeze and I believe every city employee is giving Somerville a week of work without pay. Of course, the seven million buck deficit doesn't include wage increases anyhow, so the pay freeze doesn't cover any of that. But the week of work without pay helps. We could close the libraries; that'd save two million.

It kind of kills me that people don't get that this isn't some random greedhead move. The economic crisis isn't just about people losing their jobs and houses; it's hitting the city we live in right in the nuts. Yes, this means that bad things will happen. We don't always get a choice about whether or not life sucks. We can maybe choose the suck.

So if you want to be effective about protesting this, possibly it behooves you to come up with another idea. I'm being snarky, here, but I'm also not kidding -- suggest alternate plans or you're just another annoying protester with entitlement issues. If you think that Somerville is too dumb to think about the effect of the parking changes on local business, you're nuts -- Joe's not actually an idiot.

[ron_newman]

I'm objecting primarily to the process -- or rather, lack of process. This is at least as important as the rezoning of Assembly Square or Union Square, and those went through months of community meetings and public hearings before they were enacted.

Democracy matters.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

How is the city going to help make up the money that it loses when businesses fold because the parking changes drive away their customers?

[arrowintwolakes.livejournal.com]

Ron, I really liked your first comment on that article. If ever there becomes a movement to have just that enacted, I would give as much support as I can.

[blacktigr.livejournal.com]

Screw this--I'll get my Redbones delivered.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Any idea if DARBI or the DSTF were involved/informed of any of this while it was in process?

[ron_newman]

I can't speak for DARBI, but this subject never came up at any DSTF meeting.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Gotta love the evasion that Champion demonstrated in that interview. He's a well-trained politician, isn't he? If you know people aren't going to like your answer to the actual question, babble on about something else entirely, and hope they don't notice...

My guess is that the answer to the last question, about if residents of specific streets want free parking on their street, they won't be able to petition the city to keep/get it.

Somerville is so screwed up. Their priorities seem to be so bizarre, and self-destructive.

[exsplusohs.livejournal.com]

When Tom Champion was posting here on LJ, I really liked him. He seemed like a real person...But this article really showed his ability to talk around an issue and that sucks. Boo, Tom Champion, you've tarnished my image of you!

This whole thing is ridiculous.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

It strikes me as odd that in a square that is far more restaurant (and theater) oriented than most other squares in the city AND has no major parking facility, that Davis Square could end up with the most restrictive evening parking regulations in the region.

And the money issue just doesn't seem like a good defense to me. I think Harvard Square has demonstrated that for many of the area's business districts, you can make parking cost almost any amount and people will pay it. My bet if they had *just* proposed a price increase to bring in the same amount of revenue, there would have been hardly a peep from the lot of us.

[ron_newman]

And I think part of the problem here is that meters are an inconvenient way to pay for long-term parking. If all the parking in Harvard Square cost exactly the same as it does now, but you could only pay it in quarters, I bet business there would suffer.

[tt02144.livejournal.com]

What 'unelected body' instituted these changes? If it was Traffic & Parking, do you honestly believe that the directive didn't come from the Mayor. Please don't tell me you are so naive. And, to the discussion above, the community meetings ARE a waste of time. The city will do what they want (sometimes it's pre-determined) regardless of what anyone says and come up with a reason to justify it. I've been to enough meetings concerning development, park upgrades, skate parks, dog parks, etc. to see that this is, unfortunately, true.