![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
This coming Wednesday, June 3rd from 6:30-8:30pm I will be at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square (hey, someone may not know where it is..) collecting signatures in the lobby for a petition against the parking meter hour extension. Currently, the theatre is also collecting signatures at the box office as well. They're providing me a table in the lobby, so please, come on by and say hello! We need at least 50 registered voter signatures, but I am sure that more would make an impression.
Please note, this is ONLY a petition against the meter hours extension in items 9-12. I have always lived on a permitted street in Somerville, and paid far more at meters in other places, so the two other major changes are not as large an issue for me. Hurting businesses that are already suffering in an economic downtown just to scrape together a few more dollars on TOP of doubling parking rates? I have issue with. If you are unhappy about the permitting of streets, or any other part of the new regulations, I encourage you to draft a petition yourself, and organize. I'll happily sign it. It took me all of a half hour to write one up, get in touch with the ST, and set up times to be present and collect signatures.
If you are interested in a copy of the petition to collect signatures yourself, and return to me, or the city, just ask!
I hope to see you there!
Petition
On street parking meters are frequently used by visitors to Somerville who are attending concerts and movies, dining, and shopping. By extending the hours of our on street parking to 8 in all of Somerville except Magoun and Davis Sq. and 10pm in Magoun and Davis Sq., as detailed in items 9, 10, 11, and 12 of the provided excerpt from the commission's agenda, local businesses will lose patrons who cannot afford a ticket while watching a movie, and/or enjoying a leisurely dinner. In a time when the economy has done more than enough to discourage customers to local businesses, they should not be further discouraged by difficult parking time maximums and unreasonable parking meter times. The standard times for Parking Meters to be enforced are 8am-6pm for street meters, and 8am to 8pm for parking lots we request that you keep Somerville's parking meters enforced only at these times, and help, not hinder, our local businesses in their success.
We the undersigned registered voters of Somerville, Massachusetts oppose the extension of Parking Meter hours to 8pm and 10pm, and respectfully request that these hours stay as 8am-6pm for street meters and 8am-8pm for parking lots.
Please note, this is ONLY a petition against the meter hours extension in items 9-12. I have always lived on a permitted street in Somerville, and paid far more at meters in other places, so the two other major changes are not as large an issue for me. Hurting businesses that are already suffering in an economic downtown just to scrape together a few more dollars on TOP of doubling parking rates? I have issue with. If you are unhappy about the permitting of streets, or any other part of the new regulations, I encourage you to draft a petition yourself, and organize. I'll happily sign it. It took me all of a half hour to write one up, get in touch with the ST, and set up times to be present and collect signatures.
If you are interested in a copy of the petition to collect signatures yourself, and return to me, or the city, just ask!
I hope to see you there!
Petition
On street parking meters are frequently used by visitors to Somerville who are attending concerts and movies, dining, and shopping. By extending the hours of our on street parking to 8 in all of Somerville except Magoun and Davis Sq. and 10pm in Magoun and Davis Sq., as detailed in items 9, 10, 11, and 12 of the provided excerpt from the commission's agenda, local businesses will lose patrons who cannot afford a ticket while watching a movie, and/or enjoying a leisurely dinner. In a time when the economy has done more than enough to discourage customers to local businesses, they should not be further discouraged by difficult parking time maximums and unreasonable parking meter times. The standard times for Parking Meters to be enforced are 8am-6pm for street meters, and 8am to 8pm for parking lots we request that you keep Somerville's parking meters enforced only at these times, and help, not hinder, our local businesses in their success.
We the undersigned registered voters of Somerville, Massachusetts oppose the extension of Parking Meter hours to 8pm and 10pm, and respectfully request that these hours stay as 8am-6pm for street meters and 8am-8pm for parking lots.
no subject
Date: 2009-05-29 12:18 pm (UTC)I'll still sign any petition regarding any of the changes, on the simple grounds that democratic decision-making process has not been followed.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2009-05-29 01:05 pm (UTC)I'm curious: What is the process from here? Fifty signatures are necessary in order to induce what to happen procedurally?
50-sigs sounds totally do-able.
Oh, and maybe would you post the full text of the petition (behind a cut) so that we can know in advance exactly what we're coming out to sign? Thanks for your efforts on this!
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2009-05-29 01:15 pm (UTC)I second the request for full text - it will also help someone who is planning on writing a petition about the all permits all the time.
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2009-05-29 01:21 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:take action, not whine? wtf?
Date: 2009-05-29 04:23 pm (UTC)Re: take action, not whine? wtf?
From:Re: take action, not whine? wtf?
From:Re: take action, not whine? wtf?
From:Re: take action, not whine? wtf?
From:Re: take action, not whine? wtf?
From:Re: take action, not whine? wtf?
From:Re: take action, not whine? wtf?
From:Re: take action, not whine? wtf?
From:no subject
Date: 2009-05-29 04:32 pm (UTC)All streets that are currently 2 hour parking 8 am - 6 pm except by permit will become permit-only from 6 pm to 8 am. This means it will be illegal for nonresidents to park for *any* length of time in the evening, anywhere on streets like Elm, Holland, and College starting where the Davis parking meters end.
This takes away a huge pool of evening parking spaces, from an area where it hadn't been that hard to find a space. It means once the Davis meters are full, that's it -- there will be nowhere else in Somerville to look for a legal spot.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2009-05-29 08:24 pm (UTC)Ron, if you seriously think that drug-related crimes are 'victimless' I'd really like to have a conversation with you. You must be living in a cocoon....apparently you've never known a 'victim' of a drug-related crime. That's pretty amazing.
no subject
Date: 2009-05-29 10:39 pm (UTC)I realize the permit issue doesn't matter to you, since you live in an area that already has them. But a lot of people- myself included- are a bit worked up about it as well.
What I'd like to propose is this- that a petition is drawn up listing all the items to which people object, and numbering/lettering each item. Then, when people sign it, they have the option of either signing a petition to encompass all items, or to just note their objection to, say, items 1,2, and 4.
I can help draw it up, if you like.
And again, thanks for doing this.
One other comment- those of us on this LJ community are pretty wired into the issue, but I for one am wondering about folks, say, over near Sullivan Sq. or older folks that don't really surf the net or read the local papers. There's going to be serious hell to pay when these folks find out what's happened.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2009-05-29 11:35 pm (UTC)Will be glad to sign...
Date: 2009-05-30 03:07 am (UTC)Did anyone see the car Tom Champion was driving on Memorial Day? *looks expensive)
Re: Will be glad to sign...
From:Re: Will be glad to sign...
From: