Harvard Square parking meters in effect until 8 pm

[bex77]

I know you folks love to talk about parking rules, so heads up - Cambridge announced March 19th that it is extending the active hours of parking meters around Harvard Square from 6 pm to 8 pm. In logic that eludes me, they say this will make more spaces available. So if you have to drive down there for some reason, bring more quarters!

http://www.cambridgema.gov/deptann.cfm?story_id=2591

Comments

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

Yea, the extra spaces claim should have a [citation needed] tag on it. Cambridge, if you just need the money, go ahead and admit it already.

[veek.livejournal.com]

Presumably, at any given point between 6 and 8pm, it's probable that more spaces than before will be vacant or just being vacated. Whereas before, people would park at 6 and leave their cars there for hours, creating no vacant spaces at all, especially between 6 and 7.

This all presumes that the old cutoff was 6pm.

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

The only way that occurs is if more people are leaving the Square earlier than they were previously - parkers might benefit, but businesses would suffer. Sounds like a bad idea when so many businesses are already struggling.

[tom-champion.livejournal.com]

Cambridge may be doing this for the money, but they are absolutely correct in saying that keeping the meters in effect for the two additional hours will mean that more spaces will turn over more often during that period, thus ensuring that more spaces are available.
That's the way it works.
And, actually, Cambridge doesn't need the money: their population is only about 1.5 times the size of Somerville's, but they spend well over twice as much as Somerville does on municipal government. So it's likely that this really is about parking space turnover in the hours between 6 and 8 p.m.
As for citations, you can check Section 3 of the City of Seattle's Parking Management Plan, available for download here:
http://www.cityofseattle.net/Transportation/parking/parkingmanagement.htm
Or check out the summary of this study done for the City of Vancouver BC:
http://www.parking-net.com/News/32493/More-meters-and-higher-fees--study-suggests-for-city-parking

[masswich.livejournal.com]

What he said.

By pricing parking from 6 to 8 pm. it decreases the number of people who leave their car in that spot simply because its free. That frees up spaces for people who want to park and are willing to pay for it. People who plan to stay in Harvard Square more than 2 hours will be more likely to either (a) park in a long-term lot off-street or (b) come to Harvard Square by T, foot, or bike and not worry about parking.

Anything that costs money will be used more efficiently. That may not be good policy overall but there is a lot of research that suggests it is both good for the parking supply and also, interestingly, generally good for businesses. I think this has to do with the fact that some people would be happy to shop in Harvard Square to pick something quick up if only they could find parking. Since they can't, they go elsewhere. You may lose some business from people who may stay all night, but you make up for it (and more) with people who stop in for something quick.

[veek.livejournal.com]

Well, sure, more are leaving, but more are coming in as well. The net number of people around at, again, any given moment, would remain about the same.

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

Thank you for links to actual studies - I tend to dislike assuming behavior just because it makes sense, since people frequently fail to do what makes sense ;P.

(also, that is an awesome icon, even though that's not your job anymore ;P)

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

Most meters in Harvard Square last 1 hour, not 2.

They say that as part of this change they'll change some 1 hour meters to 2 hours, but the details are unclear.

The time limit is a much bigger problem than the money. Paying $1 per hour to park in Harvard Square is a good deal, but having to move your car every hour or two is a major pain in a lot of circumstances.

I'd be happier if they promised to review this in a few months, and roll back the hours to 6 pm on any blocks and days of the week where a lot of spaces went empty.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

I can offer one point of anecdata: right now, if I (Cambridge resident) am driving into HSqu for something after 6, I will park at a meter. Now if parking between 6 and 8, I will look for a resident-permit space instead so I don't have to pay the meter. I cannot be the only Cantabrigian in this boat.

[aroraborealis.livejournal.com]

Short time limits on parking encourage turnover, which is often good for business and general neighborhood vibrancy.

[masswich.livejournal.com]

I don't expect there to be much if any vacancy at 1 hour spaces between 6 and 8, but if there are, I am sure Cambridge will revisit the policy. They want the meter fees so they'll tweak as needed to make sure they get them.

If anything, the problem with vacant spaces would be between 5 and 7, since those are the hours really affected by this change (right now you can park all night if you start at 5 and put 1 hour in the meter- this change will move that time up to 7.)

Also (and I apologize for not having the references in front of me but I have seen them), there is some evidence that a certain amount of vacancies is exactly what you want if you're trying to encourage drivers to visit businesses. They don't want to drive around Harvard Square at rush hour looking for that lone empty parking space. I think the optimum vacancy was about 15%.

There's a person named Jason Schreiber - who used to work for the Cambridge Transportation Department and is now a consultant - who has doen a lot of research about this issue. I heard him speak on it once and it was a compelling case for properly pricing parking, as long as there are realistic alternatives to driving.

[svilletheatre.livejournal.com]

At least it puts Harvard and Davis on somewhat more equal footing when it comes to driving customers for those of us who compete with businesses located in HSq. They no longer have the allure of free street parking in the evenings, which helps us, as our weeknight business has dropped off considerably since the meters in Davis went later.

Of course HSq has multiple parking garages, which Davis doesn't, but HSq is a totally different animal from Davis in many ways, especially with regards to large office buildings and hotels.

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

agreed (for davis instead, since i have a somerville sticker).

in general, the new parking regs (both davis and harvard) make me more likely to eat from my refrigerator, watch netflix on my TV, and when necessary, drive to stores in other towns that have freely-available parking when i need to buy something. in other words, trying to nickel&dime me for extra revenue will fail.

and yes, i'm still really angry at the traffic & parking commission that instituted this asininity. :(

[rozasharn.livejournal.com]

Not good for the movie theater. Movies are 2+ hours long.

[aroraborealis.livejournal.com]

Sure, so people going to the movies should find places to park where they can stay longer OR find other ways to get to the theater than driving. Is it the city's job to subsidize free or extremely low-cost parking for people who are going to movies, or should they provide parking at [closer to] market rate options and/or encourage greater turnover so more people can come spend money at other merchants stores?

[aroraborealis.livejournal.com]

trying to nickel&dime me for extra revenue will fail.

Except that parking spots in Davis are still basically full all the time, so while you're making other choices, overall, the City is in a better position financially as a result of the changes.

[svilletheatre.livejournal.com]

But meters are *not* full all the time, only at peak periods. Many weekdays and weeknights the side streets have ample parking available. If we had smart meters that could charge high prices at peak times, like weekends, etc. and low prices at non-peak times to encourage visitation, it would be ideal. This is what many people have been pushing for. However, smart meters themselves cost a bit of money, which is an issue for city governments.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Although I see your point, the point I was trying to make is that the new policy actually does make at least one meter available for out-of-towners between 6 and 8, because at least one Cambridge resident will not be parking there then.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

Depends on the business. 30 minutes is fine for stopping by Cardullo's or the post office, but 1 hour wouldn't be enough for some restaurants or an appointment with the eye doctor.

Most small retail stores close before 8.

Some people who study parking in business districts recommend doing away with time limits, and setting prices high enough to ensure availability. Time limits are a form of rationing, indicating prices are too low. I'd prefer something in the middle, with a mixture of time limits in different areas.

And short time limits in the middle of the square would be less of a problem if there were medium-term or all-day parking on the outskirts. Unfortunately, the short-term meter zone runs right up to the resident permit zone. (There used to be all-day parking just across the river in Allston, but Boston replaced almost all of it with a yellow-striped median.)

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

"Is it the city's job to subsidize free or extremely low-cost parking for people who are going to movies"

Providing on-street parking for a variety of purposes certainly is the city's job.

Nobody said free or low-cost. We were talking about paid parking with a longer time limit.

And if movies bother you for some reason, how about parking for free or low-cost live performances, of which there are plenty in Harvard Square? Or visiting friends for more than 60 minutes?

It's a good thing there's on-street parking around here. There are cities that have banned on-street parking, and they suck, since the streets basically function as off-ramps from highways to multistory parking garages.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

"I don't expect there to be much if any vacancy at 1 hour spaces between 6 and 8, but if there are, I am sure Cambridge will revisit the policy."

There's a whole lot of empty spaces before 10 AM most mornings, especially Saturdays, and Cambridge hasn't changed the 8 AM meter start time.

[aroraborealis.livejournal.com]

I'm in favor of on-street parking, wisely provided. Some spots should be shorter term, some longer, to encourage a mix of uses. All city-provided parking should be priced such that the city isn't significantly subsidizing private vehicles.

People who object to extended meter hours ARE arguing in favor of free or low-cost parking [for certain hours].

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

"People who object to extended meter hours ARE arguing in favor of free or low-cost parking [for certain hours]."

Maybe that's what some people were arguing for. But I was recommending paid parking with longer time limits.