Reminder: Somerville doesn't do space savers

[keithn.livejournal.com]

Whether you agree or not, Somerville is not Boston, and the policy of Somerville is to disallow and remove so-called "space savers" in the street.  The city just tweeted a picture of all of the space savers they have collected so far: https://twitter.com/311Somerville/status/571307724165799937/photo/1

Also, be aware that many residents simply remove space savers from the street when they come across them, even though they are just passing by and not parking in the spot.

If someone takes "your" spot, be aware, that that person most likely did not move your space saver.  Be an adult and move on and find another spot.

Comments

[ron_newman]

Any idea what the city is going to do with these? An auction, a city-run yard sale, a "please take these away free" day?

[rmd.livejournal.com]

Randomly distribute them into parking spots in the middle of summer?

[ifotismeni]

can't wait to see how this goes down in east somerville. so many spacesavers out there right now.

[mem-winterhill.livejournal.com]

I was 100% anti-space saver, until I went to the snow removal hearing the other night. This paraphrased story captures my impression, I was not taking specific notes.

A woman testified about her situation. She's in her 70s, caring for her husband slightly older. They need to get out to get prescriptions, and get groceries, etc. They paid someone to shovel out their car (in a street spot) because they are physically unable. Ok, that's fine.

But if they leave, someone takes that space. They come home and can't park. With mobility issues, and grocery bags, this isn't any easier.

So she said that essentially they are really as trapped as anyone who doesn't drive. It's not worth it to clear a space. Which means their car won't move, which means that other person won't get a chance to park anyway...and on and on.

I went to the hearing very much wanting to find out who the bad guys were, who to blame for the state of things. But it just wasn't that easy.

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

Sadly, the solution is if you are unable or unwilling to shovel out a spot, AND you feel like you "deserve" a spot, you should either buy a home with offstreet parking or rent a spot in a lot somewhere. I do feel bad for folks who are having trouble finding parking, however this is what you get when you move into a place without owning a space for your vehicle.

I wish the city had money enough to cart away all the excess snow, since I'd love to visit friends, but there's just nowhere to park to visit them. And once the snow packs down into ice, it ain't going anywhere for weeks. Nothing except heavy equipment will remove significant hunks of it. :(

[kelkyag]

I believe it is possible to have a street space in front of a house marked as a handicapped space when there is someone in residence who qualifies -- might that be appropriate for this case? That assumes mobility issues sufficient to acquire a handicapped placard for the car.

[kelkyag]

The city is slowly clearing the even sides of the side streets. Today's update has a list and a link to a map of what's been cleared. The sheared-off-at-the-curb snow berms are rather astonishing.

[somerfriend.livejournal.com]

It's time to increase the cost of the parking sticker from $2.50 per month until the parking shortage is eliminated and there is space for protected bike lanes on more streets. Give away something for free and people become dependent on it and shortages are created. That will also ease the anti development sentiments too.

[courtney (from livejournal.com)]

I must admit that I believe in the practice, but as parking opens up one must expect that their spot will be taken and that another one will become available.

What I absolutely don't condone is the damaging of a person's vehicle if they take your spot. Think about it... if you slash their tire...THEY CAN'T MOVE THEIR CAR UNTIL THE TIRE IS FIXED!! If you smash their windshield... THEY CAN'T MOVE THEIR CAR UNTIL THEY GET A NEW WINDSHIELD!!

[courtney (from livejournal.com)]

Wondering if Somerville will seriously consider zoned parking, as well? If you have a Magoun Square sticker, you can't park in a Davis Square neighborhood type of thing.

[mem-winterhill.livejournal.com]

I didn't see the husband, but I don't think the woman would have qualified by standard rules as handicapped. But she was smaller than the snowbanks, and probably not at a health and fitness level that would allow much shoveling. And there's plenty of difficulty prior to that official designation, anyway. By 75, my dad was increasingly unstable even on regular pavement. But he wouldn't have qualified for any official placards. An image of him walking with even 2 small bags from CVS over these kinds of sidewalks and snowbanks makes me cringe. But he would have wanted to try to care for himself.

Another point made at the meeting was that home health care aides were facing incredibly difficult scenarios trying to get to their clients. They can't park either.

My take-away from the meeting with all the testimony was that people really wanted to take care of themselves and their senior relatives, and their neighbors, and do the right things. But nothing was working from parking or shoveling perspectives.

The biggest irony of the hearing, of course, is that it's folks who are trying to do it right that show up. The deadbeats will never give a crap.

[aislingk15.livejournal.com]

I think that this notion of someone perceiving a spot as "theirs" to be problematic. While I agree that it's a really awful feeling to spent hours shoveling out the spot your car was in, and then to go to buy milk and come back to find that spot taken, the idea that everyone else who wasn't lucky enough to get a spot before the initial snowstorm should not have somewhere to park for the next month is incredibly selfish.

Handicapped Space

[ethanfield.livejournal.com]

This is correct. The house next door to mine has one, and I've seen a few others in the city.

[mem-winterhill.livejournal.com]

What if we agreed to a new designation for some seniors, short of handicapped, but that helped to keep them in their homes? Like "shoveler emeritus" or something...?

If they have no driveway, and if they are over 65 (or something), we create a status for that. And either give them an official community space saver or sign?

Just thinkin' out loud.

[kelkyag]

That sounds promising to me -- at least worth bringing up to the city government or a wider audience to ponder benefits, costs, and drawbacks. A sign is harder to misplace; an official space-saver is less fuss to install, reuse, or make available for a temporary need.

Making parking space for home health care aids or other visitors in this sort of weather is harder, but that doesn't need to be as reliably close to home.

I've been looking around since January wondering how anyone with a stroller or walker or crutches or wheelchair is managing in this. Sidewalk-clearing effectiveness varies a lot.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

FWIW I would be strongly against this. Somerville is just too small, area-wise, for this to be worth the trouble.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Echoing others, I do think there is a way for them to apply for a handicapped spot outside their house that would be virtually theirs, and maybe that process should be better publicized around the city.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

City has been doing a pretty good job of clearing the side streets, much better than Cambridge or Medford, for example.

[courtney (from livejournal.com)]

I would also oppose it.

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

There is actually a *surplus* of parking spots in my neighborhood and no one is even using the Brown School overnight parking option (I believe that is still useable by the rules).

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

You have to wonder if part of the reason home health aides couldn't park was the presence of space savers.