A graphic demonstration
Jul. 3rd, 2009 12:00 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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davis_squareJust to give folks a little heads-up as to what's in store for Somerville if this city-wide resident-only parking continues to go forward.
Tonight I went to visit an old friend over in Cambridge who was having a small impromptu get-together at her place. She lives off of Garden Street kinda near Harvard Sq. Her entire neighborhood is resident parking only. The nearest metered/public spots are back near Harvard Square about 3/10ths of a mile away.
She's new there so she doesn't have her guest permits yet. But even if she did, 4 of us had cars, so 2 of us would have been out of luck in terms of being able to get guest permits. So... I went back near Harvard Sq and did the loop for almost 20 minutes, but no parking spaces were to be had. My aggravation level was getting higher and higher and finally I decided the hell with it and called her to say that I would park in the lot for her building and just say a quick hello. Ultimately, it was decided to risk the wrath of the building manager and to leave my car parked there for a couple of hours and it was ok- my car wasn't towed.
But still... that was sheer dumb luck. And it gave a glimpse of what our guests can expect once these new regs are put into place. And if you want more than 2 guests with cars, you are totally out of luck unless you take time out of your day and go get more guest passes. If you're working a normal shift, when are you supposed to do this? And right now, there are no parking meters on my end of Highland Ave. Will that all be "resident only" parking? Will my overflow guests who don't have either of the two Golden Ticket guest parking passes have to park in Union Square and walk over? Gee, that will be fun in the winter, especially if the ladies care to dress up a bit in dresses and heels. Did you read that these guest passes are only valid on your street and the nearest cross street too?
The Mayor says this is all necessary because the system is FUBARed and gosh darn it, we just have all these people from "other places" coming here to Somerville to suck up all the free parking and let's scare the residents with stories about how ZOMG THE T IS COMING IN 8 MORE YEARS bringing even more hordes of filthy outsiders here to :: sniffle sniffle :: steal all the parking spaces from good old-fashioned hard-working Somerville residents. This is called generating a phony crisis that was used to justify this back-door screwing of neighborhoods like mine where there is no parking problem. It's free, no permit needed, and always plentiful In almost 7 years at this address, only 3 times has it taken me more than a single pass to find a parking spot and only once have I had to park more than 100 yards from my apartment. But there's a crisis, dontchya know?
Oh, right.... it's also about revenue, but on that, the Mayor's only being partially truthful. Not only will the citizens have to pay for resident and guest parking permits, but you can be 100% sure that meter maids will be prowling the neighborhoods at all hours looking to write tickets and who knows, they may even make parking without a permit a towable offense, and we know who benefits from that.
Yeah, I realize this is just whining and beating a horse that ain't only dead, but has already been turned into the glue for the parking ticket envelopes that come August will be gracing the windshields of our visitors from dark lands beyond Somerville.
Thanks for indulging me.
Tonight I went to visit an old friend over in Cambridge who was having a small impromptu get-together at her place. She lives off of Garden Street kinda near Harvard Sq. Her entire neighborhood is resident parking only. The nearest metered/public spots are back near Harvard Square about 3/10ths of a mile away.
She's new there so she doesn't have her guest permits yet. But even if she did, 4 of us had cars, so 2 of us would have been out of luck in terms of being able to get guest permits. So... I went back near Harvard Sq and did the loop for almost 20 minutes, but no parking spaces were to be had. My aggravation level was getting higher and higher and finally I decided the hell with it and called her to say that I would park in the lot for her building and just say a quick hello. Ultimately, it was decided to risk the wrath of the building manager and to leave my car parked there for a couple of hours and it was ok- my car wasn't towed.
But still... that was sheer dumb luck. And it gave a glimpse of what our guests can expect once these new regs are put into place. And if you want more than 2 guests with cars, you are totally out of luck unless you take time out of your day and go get more guest passes. If you're working a normal shift, when are you supposed to do this? And right now, there are no parking meters on my end of Highland Ave. Will that all be "resident only" parking? Will my overflow guests who don't have either of the two Golden Ticket guest parking passes have to park in Union Square and walk over? Gee, that will be fun in the winter, especially if the ladies care to dress up a bit in dresses and heels. Did you read that these guest passes are only valid on your street and the nearest cross street too?
The Mayor says this is all necessary because the system is FUBARed and gosh darn it, we just have all these people from "other places" coming here to Somerville to suck up all the free parking and let's scare the residents with stories about how ZOMG THE T IS COMING IN 8 MORE YEARS bringing even more hordes of filthy outsiders here to :: sniffle sniffle :: steal all the parking spaces from good old-fashioned hard-working Somerville residents. This is called generating a phony crisis that was used to justify this back-door screwing of neighborhoods like mine where there is no parking problem. It's free, no permit needed, and always plentiful In almost 7 years at this address, only 3 times has it taken me more than a single pass to find a parking spot and only once have I had to park more than 100 yards from my apartment. But there's a crisis, dontchya know?
Oh, right.... it's also about revenue, but on that, the Mayor's only being partially truthful. Not only will the citizens have to pay for resident and guest parking permits, but you can be 100% sure that meter maids will be prowling the neighborhoods at all hours looking to write tickets and who knows, they may even make parking without a permit a towable offense, and we know who benefits from that.
Yeah, I realize this is just whining and beating a horse that ain't only dead, but has already been turned into the glue for the parking ticket envelopes that come August will be gracing the windshields of our visitors from dark lands beyond Somerville.
Thanks for indulging me.
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no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 04:07 am (UTC)I live in a very car-centric tiny city where people seriously drive 300 feet instead of walking. Streets are super narrow and everyone and their cat has a car, my street fills up at 6pm when people filter home. But even we don't have the draconian parking measures Somerville has. I can understand the need for residents to park near their own homes - but the same residents need to be able to have people come by now and again both without a visitors permit and without fear of tickets or towing. This isn't Manhattan, it's Somerville.
Consideration
Date: 2009-07-03 04:20 am (UTC)http://www.cambridgema.gov/traffic/Consideration.cfm
http://www.somervillema.gov/section.cfm?org=traffic&page=916
Re: Consideration
Date: 2009-07-03 04:35 am (UTC)And I know that yes, Somerville was considering something similar, only you would have to pay. My question about this is when would this office be open?
And what happens if I decide "hey, after 2 straight months of rain, it's suddenly stopped and I want to have a half dozen friends over for a cookout." Factor in that it's after work and the Traffic Office is closed. How do I get a permit then? Or it's Saturday?
And why, after 7 years of being at the same address and sometimes throwing parties with 40 to 60 guests with no previous problems, is this suddenly now an earth-shaking crisis that can only be solved behind closed doors without any input from the citizens?
And what will be the other provisions made for parking for guests? Will they end up having to walk half a mile while along the way, there are dozens of open spaces where previously they could park?
And what was wrong with the previous system where neighborhoods could file to be permit only if the residents of that neighborhood felt it necessary? Was this system broken or something that the TPC felt the need to toss it out without any sort of public hearing?
That's what burns me about this. Somerville's government has generally been really really good at soliciting the opinions of citizens and operating openly. But here.... this is the old "make deals in the back room of Whitey Bulger's barber's" Somerville and I am really surprised that Mayor Joe would stand by and not only let this kind of farce be pulled on his watch, but openly support it.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 04:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 10:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 10:43 am (UTC)The office hours do, in fact, suck. It is open till 7 on Thursday, so if I know I'm having a weekend party, I go over then.
I realize that doesn't make this not-a-problem, but I did want to share some potentially useful information for those who want to have parties.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 10:51 am (UTC)(brought to you by your friendly neighborhood sarcastic ranter, who thinks this Somerville parking thing just totally sucks)
no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 11:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 01:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 01:31 pm (UTC)Anyway, parking *should* be difficult in a city. It encourages people to carpool or use other modes of transportation.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 02:15 pm (UTC)Somerville is neither of those. Some people can get by without a car, but a lot of people can't. This isn't NYC, where most of my friends who moved there with a car ditched it within 6 months because the only time they really needed it was to visit family or make the NJ run to the Ikea.
And again, this "parking crisis" is entirely manufactured. In only a few areas is there a problem, and the permitting in those areas has solved it. But in my area of the city near City Hall/Union Sq, there is no problem. Even during the school year, with a school next to me and the High School around the corner, there is no parking problem, which runs counter to what you might think, with the daily influx of teachers and students with cars. This "difficulty" of which you speak doesn't exist now, but will be created under the new system. Why screw up a perfectly good system and why lie and say it's being done because there's a problem when those of us who live in these neighborhoods are saying "no, there isn't"?
no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 02:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 03:25 pm (UTC)Various other parts of Somerville that currently have unrestricted parking also currently don't have much public transit, and the bus system around here is too opaque for irregular users anyway.
So, they can wait until the Green Line actually goes in, and then it would make perfect sense to restrict parking near the new T stops just as it's restricted near Davis.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 03:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 04:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 05:21 pm (UTC)I've never heard of anyone who "has" to drive a car to a party.
Date: 2009-07-03 05:28 pm (UTC)What possible reason can you imagine that someone who could afford a car, and be physically able to drive it, would not be also able to be able to afford the T and cabs, or afford and drive a bike (or similar type of vehicle which isn't subject to parking prohibitions)?
Re: I've never heard of anyone who "has" to drive a car to a party.
Date: 2009-07-03 05:39 pm (UTC)Also, I have a 5 month old child. I cannot transport him on a bicycle until he reaches his first birthday, nor can I really expect a cab to wait 15 minutes for me to safely put his car seat in. And on top of that, I have a car already, it's a sunk cost. I'm not paying more money for someone else to drive me around unnecessarily.
So that's just one example of how neither of those options work for me. I didn't mention "affording" in my initial argument anyway - just that it wasn't a viable option. It's not a money issue, it's an inconvenience issue.
Tha "only" way?
Date: 2009-07-03 06:07 pm (UTC)Sure, it might not be as convenient, but then, hey, convenience is a far cry from "need".
As for the bike, you can indeed transport him on a bike, using a trailer, any time you want.
Re: Tha "only" way?
Date: 2009-07-03 06:12 pm (UTC)OK be ignorant then.
Date: 2009-07-03 06:22 pm (UTC)Re: OK be ignorant then.
Date: 2009-07-03 07:21 pm (UTC)But for most of us, what you are proposing is either impractical or unworkable. Hey, it would be awesome if the transport system was set up so we could ditch our cars, or we had a respectable and safe system of bike paths like Amsterdam, and a climate that didn't suck for 8 months out of the year. But it isn't.
And since you've taken it upon yourself to lecture the rest of us on the economics of driving, I paid for my car 3 years ago. My only expense is insurance- $60/month, gas, parking, inspection/excise, and every few months an oil change and and offering to the parts gods.
All it would take for me to spend more on your method of transportation is buying a monthly T pass and 1 cab ride. Not only that, I would lose out on somewhere in the range of $12,000 a year on jobs I would have to decline because, well gosh darn it, they're in areas where the T doesn't operate or doesn't operate when I need it to operate.
And your whole Chicken Little ZOMG NO MORE PARKING DOOM DOOM DOOM WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE JIHAD JIHAD JIHAD act isn't borne out by the fact I have repeated again and again. There is no parking crisis. It is made up, and if you don't think so, bike around the Prospect Hill neighborhood some night and take a look at the number of parking spaces.
And I can't believe you honestly advocate riding around on the streets of Boston with an infant in a trailer. Have you happened to notice that drivers are insane in these parts and what you are suggesting is akin to child abuse? I bike and follow the biking communities. How many bicyclists get pasted by cars, doored, take spills, and experience near-misses around here? And you're suggesting that a parent put their child at risk?
That's.... um.... wow. I'm in awe, honestly.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 07:42 pm (UTC)There's your "crisis" for you and I can see why the TPC is sitting up late at night doing Serious Werk to put an end to this. Clearly, the situation is out of hand and must be addressed NOW NOW NOW in super sekkrit meetings because civilization as we know it would otherwise vanish.
And great, now we'll have to pony up $5 for people to visit us? Fuck that.
And what happens then with Davis Square (and Magoun too?) Great, the meters run to 10pm. And after 10pm? Does it all become resident parking only and anyone parked there will have their cars ticketed and possibly even towed by everybody's favorite people at Pats? Nobody has an answer to that one, but hey, I am sure we'll find out after the fact, just like we did about this whole new set of regs. And of course, they'll be non-reviewable as well.
Sorry. Obviously, none of this is directed at you. I'm just really aggravated with this whole thing and how it was done.
Re: OK be ignorant then.
Date: 2009-07-03 10:17 pm (UTC)The "everyone-should-bike" argument makes me so frustrated. It works for some people and that's awesome. But it doesn't work for me. I make up the environmental impact of my (35mpg-getting) car in other ways - my kid doesn't use disposable diapers, for one. With the side effect of saving thousands of dollars, too. But you know what I don't do? Be a total douche and harass other moms who don't choose to cloth diaper.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-03 10:37 pm (UTC)Anyway as someone who lives at the outer limits of what would be considered a "T accessible" are the solution I offer is the bicycle. In spite of what some car owners and seasonal bicyclists will tell you, you *can* bike in the rain and indeed people in many other parts of the world do it all the time.
That said, there is kind of a bootstrapping problem here wherein people are not likely to buy bicycles just to come to parties at my house, so it's not clear that a regulation like this that affects only guests would actually do much to improve anything. The way I see it, people in neighborhoods that are under-served by public transportation should be able to get as many guest permits as they need, but they should be expensive enough so that the burden of the extra cars on the neighborhood is shouldered (in some abstract way) by the permit holders.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-04 12:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-04 05:01 pm (UTC)And besides, car ownership is not the issue here. It's whether it's right or proper for an appointed board with zero oversight to unilaterally draw up new regulations without any input from the citizens or the Aldermen that significantly affects a good portion of the city.
That and whether there really is a parking crisis that required this rush back-channel action, which the city government asserts, or if parking in many areas of the city really isn't a problem, as is the case in my neighborhood, which is right around the corner from City Hall.
Added bonus points for the TPC doing this while on the other hand the city was holding ResiStat meetings in order to make citizens feel they had a voice in their city government. The irony there is too delicious.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-06 02:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-06 02:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-06 11:04 am (UTC)Equity
Date: 2009-07-06 01:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-06 04:09 pm (UTC)~This was most certainly voted on with the Mayor's approval, or his directive.
~Another point about guest passes. The same vehicle can only use the guest pass once within so many hours/days. So if your boy/girlfriend, for instance, doesn't live in Somerville, but would like to visit 3 times per week, expect a ticket.
~I pay more than enough in property taxes/excise taxes to insure me the right to park a vehicle on the street without additional costs.
~My street has been permit parking for several years, for no reason, other than someone thought it would prevent people from parking and walking to Davis for the T. What they didn't understand is that ANYONE in Somerville with a permit can park on our street and walk to Davis for the T. It only prevents people from outside of the city from doing this.
~For this who so blithely suggest that everyone walk, bike, or ride the T, please let's be serious. My husband has physical problems which would make it impossible to ride a bike, or walk the distances that the T would require. And how would you like my friends in Woburn, Burlington, Stoneham, etc. to get to my house via the T. The city would now like all of our friends to be in similarly T accessible communities.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-06 04:22 pm (UTC)~This was most certainly voted on with the Mayor's approval, or his directive.
~Another point about guest passes. The same vehicle can only use the guest pass once within so many hours/days. So if your boy/girlfriend, for instance, doesn't live in Somerville, but would like to visit 3 times per week, expect a ticket.
~I pay more than enough in property taxes/excise taxes to insure me the right to park a vehicle on the street without additional costs.
~My street has been permit parking for several years, for no reason, other than someone thought it would prevent people from parking and walking to Davis for the T. What they didn't understand is that ANYONE in Somerville with a permit can park on our street and walk to Davis for the T. It only prevents people from outside of the city from doing this.
~For this who so blithely suggest that everyone walk, bike, or ride the T, please let's be serious. My husband has physical problems which would make it impossible to ride a bike, or walk the distances that the T would require. And how would you like my friends in Woburn, Burlington, Stoneham, etc. to get to my house via the T. The city would now like all of our friends to be in similarly T accessible communities.
Re: Equity
Date: 2009-07-06 07:21 pm (UTC)Now, if the city decided that to register a car in Somerville, we all had to pay a fee, I'd be ok with that. But the permit system leaves a lot to be desired, especially with the whole guest pass system. Basically, without any input from residents, we've been told that the entire city will now become extremely visitor-unfriendly and if you come here, be prepared to jump through hoops.
To this point, nobody has made a reasonable case as to why I shouldn't be allowed to have a friend drive here from out of state and be able to park outside my apartment for a week, just for a for-instance. There is zero way legally for this to happen if we go to a fully-permitted parking system with this ridiculously stupid and restrictive guest pass system.
religious org parking
Date: 2009-07-07 11:40 pm (UTC)No, it's not as easy as having your sabbath happen to be on a Sunday, but it works out OK. The main problem we've had is that sometimes people get ticketed in the time it takes them to walk up, grab a permit, and bring it back to the car, but AFAIK folks have been able to appeal those.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-07 11:42 pm (UTC)Re: religious org parking
Date: 2009-07-07 11:43 pm (UTC)Re: religious org parking
Date: 2009-07-07 11:50 pm (UTC)But heck, why not call and ask? Because technically you shouldn't have to operate out of a church building to do something religious ;)
They'll probably tell you to plan your religious celebrations in advance and to get the one-time extra guest passes.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-07 11:59 pm (UTC)The rain isn't the problem. It's the snow, sleet, ice, and cold we get from November until May. And even in Amsterdam, where people do bike everywhere, you also have the option of public transit 24/7. A number of times we didn't feel like dealing with the bikes and spent the 3 euros to take the Night Bus home.
And I'm in my 40s, as are a lot of my friends. Why the hell should they be told "you should bike everywhere"? Fuck that. We're old and cranky and have a healthy fear of death at the hands of insane Boston drivers who don't respect 80,000 pound tractor trailers, never mind a 200 pound person on a 20 lb hunk of rubber and metal.
And why should the city be involved in this social engineering when there is no problem? Or fer chrissakes, toss us a bone and suspend the permits from 6pm on Saturday until 8am Monday- or better yet, 6pm Fridays and allow people to socialize on weekends without fears their friends will get nailed with huge parking tickets or having to show up at Pat's waving large wads of cash.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-08 12:11 am (UTC)Arguably a 200 pound 40 year-old stands to benefit more from getting on a bicycle than someone younger and lighter. And as for aggressive drivers, the only antidote to that is more people on bicycles.
Re: religious org parking
Date: 2009-07-08 12:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-08 12:30 am (UTC)"Relatively small number of days"? The weather blows goats here 8 months out of the year and makes for unsafe biking conditions. I won't argue about the benefits of biking- it's great exercise and I like it, but I'm not a big fan of taking my life in my hands. I go to Amsterdam and bike quite a bit, but then again, they have their own bike lanes with traffic signals and people generally pay attention to the traffic rules. Make Somerville and Boston 1/5th as bike-friendly as Amsterdam and sure, I'd consider your argument.
agreed
Date: 2009-07-09 07:21 am (UTC)Ultimately this will cost the city a ton of money -
when tickets are issued left and right to all our visitors, people will protest so loudly that most of the permit signs will be removed. I just hope they don't leave the metal stumps all over the city - my elderly father got one in his leg in union sq last year, fell into traffic and almost got run over, not to mention 3 months to heal.
churches get a free ride everywhere.
Date: 2009-07-18 12:11 am (UTC)Congregants who had moved OUT of DC because of the crime, and now complain about the gentrification of the neighborhoods their churches are in ... and how they, as members of the urban underclass (who are no longer urban, but that's beside the point) are being discriminated against with enforcement of parking laws that are designed to make sure emergency equipment can pass.