Parking for visitors?

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

I know parking's hard around here, but walking around the Porter Square area, it seemed like you can't even address the problem with money. Two hour parking everywhere; free in Porter Square but only for customers (enforced how?); longer in the Exchange but paid and customers only; permit only on Cambridge side streets. Is there nowhere to direct someone to park for a day visit, let alone night?

Comments

[pekmez.livejournal.com]

Don't Cambridge residents get visitor parking permits if they choose to pay for them? Certainly Somerville residents do.

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

Apparently so, but if one hadn't gotten one yet, or if one had *two* visitors, it'd still be a question.

[littlecitynames.livejournal.com]

As far as I heard last weekend, there are so many shuttles on the roads and at bus stops, that the regular buses have been really delayed. I don't know how true that is, but people I know were complaining about it.

[jesseh.livejournal.com]

You don't lose much time, and also, if you're only riding between Alewife and Harvard, the ride is free.

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

Isn't the Davis-Porter elevator shuttle free?

As for frequency, it's supposed to be every 2 minutes, and last weekend they seemed to be doing that. At first I was pissed off that a bus had passed me, though I wasn't sure if it was 77 or 96. Then another one did, and another, and I caught on.

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

They do this for all shuttles. It's simpler and if you're going to continue on the T, you either need to pay or need proof of payment (though a shuttle in the middle of a line means they can't really enforce that and you get a complete free ride if you come off the shuttle). If it's at the end of the line, they can simply make you pay when you enter the system and let you ride for free if your stop is along the shuttle route.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

it seemed like you can't even address the problem with money.

There are visitor spots in Cambridge, but it's hard to find them available. Metered parking spots are fine for overnight if you're out (or paid) when the meters go into effect again.

There's overnight parking available in Alewife. And, if convenience is worth more, just pay the city of Cambridge $30 if and only if they actually ticket. (I've certainly gotten away with it occasionally.)

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

Those aren't visitor spots -- they're unrestricted spots that Cambridge hasn't gotten around to restricting yet. The city has no interest in keeping a supply of them distributed around the city, and removes them pretty much whenever they take a look at the parking rules in an area.

[turil.livejournal.com]

I think the idea is that they want you to try to take the T. :-)

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but that's tricky if your visitor lives outside the T range, or far out on the wrong spoke. World-class parking problems without the world-class transit...

[roho.livejournal.com]

When in doubt, Alewife. It's covered, reasonably priced for the vicinity, 'legit' (no worries about a ticket or tow truck), and an easy T-ride in to either Davis or Porter (and not a terrible walk, either).

Though as someone above pointed out, that T-ride may not be so easy on the weekends for the next few months.

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

When I lived in Somerville a block from Porter Square, I was allowed TWO guest parking passes...I think they were $1 or $3 each.

[zaarwin-devolve.livejournal.com]

$5/pass these days, and it's still two passes/unit.

[enveri.livejournal.com]

Since we finally got our plates changed over to MA, where do we get our resident parking stickers/guest passes? We are fortunate enough to have parking spaces, but if we have company (and probably will for the holidays) it's easier for us to park our cars somewhere and let visitors have our spots

[real-green-tea.livejournal.com]

http://www2.cambridgema.gov/traffic/rpp.cfm
You can go to the office on Broadway or (apparently) apply online.

Somerville you have to go to the Holland St parking office

[emannths.livejournal.com]

Not that it applies to you anymore, as a psa: you don't have to have a car registered at your address to get visitor permits in Somerville.

[enveri.livejournal.com]

Well... poop.

that would have been handy to know a few months back. >.>

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

Same for Cambridge (you can just get the visitor pass, though it costs $20 bucks now).

[aislingk15.livejournal.com]

free in Porter Square but only for customers (enforced how?);


Porter Square hires a company to tow, and they're vigilant about it - I think I was gone for about 4 hours when I came back to find my car gone. My recollection is that it will cost you about $80 to get the car back, plus you'll probably have to take a cab to the towing place. It was somewhere over between Union Square and Inman, and it would have been a pretty big walk.

[withinmywill.livejournal.com]

Whoa, really? What time of day was this?

[aislingk15.livejournal.com]

A weekday morning - I think that I parked there around 9 AM and came back around 1. If you watch, you'll see the security guard walking around taking down plates pretty frequently. Frankly you're better off parking on a Somerville street without a permit and getting the $50 ticket!

[withinmywill.livejournal.com]

Wow! I'm surprised! I've parked there many times to go to dinner down the street or Baptiste yoga, and I've instructed others to do the same, without any problems. I wonder if this is something that maybe happens only at certain times or randomly.

[grapefruiteater.livejournal.com]

It happens fairly often. If you're in the habit of walking through that parking lot or frequenting local businesses, you'll see the tow truck hanging out fairly regularly. When I lived down the street, I always told my guests to avoid parking in that lot because I'd seen too many cars being towed. They don't want people using the lot as a commuter lot for the T.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Night visits are easier, at least in Cambridge: park at any meter (most, if not all, turn off at 6 pm, starting again at 8 or 9 am).