PARKING MEETING TONIGHT. 6 pm CITY HALL. BE THERE. BE LOUD. BE ANGRY

[ratheripped.livejournal.com]

Just posting a neighborly reminder about the parking meeting tonight. Fight the power!

http://www.somervillema.gov/NewsDetail.cfm?instance_id=1493

Comments

[cnoocy]

Or, you know, be polite and respectful, but firm in your opinions.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Maybe I should just print out the flowchart a couple of hundred times and put a copy on every chair.

[prog.livejournal.com]

Was gonna say: Please neighbors, attend this meeting, but do not teabag it. Carry your agenda in, but don't express it by being a spittle-flecked shoutypants.

(Cognizant that the OP isn't suggesting that you act like an ass. But certain recent images from the news are the first thing that pop into my head when I read that subject line.)

[veek.livejournal.com]

I can't make it. If anyone feels that it'd be helpful to print this out and bring it to city hall, be my guest.

What a bunch of manipulative bullshit, this all-or-nothing hearing. Nothing, is my wish; let them revert to May's rules. If they want to try making new regulations that won't gouge people for time and money, let them, and let them do it as a sane process involving listening to city residents.

Somerville is not Boston, in terms of parking difficulties. We don't need these regulations, and they're making the city unfriendly to visitors who would otherwise spend money supporting its businesses.

-Vika Zafrin
(address provided on request)

[jodi.livejournal.com]

you're right! somerville is not boston-- somerville is in fact more densely populated than boston and does indeed need a lot of regulation. there are many arguments against these new restrictions but the fact that somerville is somehow less needful of them is refutable on many levels including density.

[veek.livejournal.com]

I was thinking not in terms of population density, but in terms of the percentage of all cars in a city on any given day that are not from the city itself but visiting. Boston has proportionally a much larger number of cars that go through it—commuter students and workers, and tourists—than Somerville does. These groups bring sizeable business to the city. Because Somerville doesn't luxuriate in a sea of tourism the way Boston does, passing regulations that alienate the out-of-towners coming in and routinely spending money is a dumb idea.

As for more streets going resident-only, perhaps that's wise, perhaps not; I don't know their residents' issues well enough to comment.

[ron_newman]

Somerville needs this regulation less because it has less public transportation than Boston. When the Green Line comes these rules may be needed, but not until then.

[soong.livejournal.com]

Hey, while we're on the topic of loud and angry vs politicians, any of those health care events around here?

[usernamenumber.livejournal.com]

No longer a citizen of Somerville and just hearing about this at 7pm, but looking forward to hearing how it went!

BASTARDS!!!

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

That good enough :)