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Boston residents with parking permits can now park at their local meters for free
By adamg on Thu, 03/26/2020 - 5:36pm
Mayor Walsh today announced changes in Boston parking enforcement during Covid-19 times:
Residents with a valid resident permit sticker will be allowed to park in a metered or two-hour parking space, without having to adhere to the time limit or pay a meter fee, within their specific neighborhood.
People without such stickers, however, can be ticketed if they park at a meter and don't pay, or stay in a designated space for longer than two hours.
As previously announced, BTD will not ticket cars parked on streets on street-sweeping days. That decision to drop ticketing has been extended to cars with expired inspection stickers and car registration.
The city has begun marking off spaces in front of restaurants that now offer takeout for five-minute customer parking.
Parking enforcement officers will continue to enforce other parking laws, such as prohibitions against parking in front of hydrants or in handicap spaces.
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Comments
Hmmm, what's the point?
Can someone think of a reason why this is needed? "All the stores are closed, so they don't need the parking spaces, so go ahead and use them.' I guess that's it?
Basically
Imagine a neighborhood like the North End or Back Bay, where parking is always difficult for residents, but now there are all these empty spaces because there are barely any shoppers (or even people making deliverie) anymore. Why not make life a little easier for people who have to work at home now? And yes, I realize, if you live in Boston Proper, you've probably long ago had to make accommodations for the tight parking, but still.
I imagine it's even more
I imagine it's even more difficult now as everyone is always at home.
The city and regions response
The city and regions response to the virus has been “let’s give even more hand outs to drivers even though they are already incredibly spoiled”. It’s baffling and is costing all of us since the city is collecting less money.
Your monomania truly is amazing
Have you perhaps noticed what's going on all around you?
Think about it
Think about it for one second.
On top of worrying about whether they or their family members may die, whether they can go buy food, wondering what the future bears for them, do you really want to give people one more thing to worry about?
Priorities, pal. People are dying and you're worried about a fucking parking spot.
A lot of car owners who
A lot of car owners who commute into the city normally take the T, because parking is scarce and traffic is unbearable. In a world where the T poses a risk of infection and there's plenty of unused street parking and highway space, why not let workers whose jobs are essential, and those who are immune-compromised get a temporary break? It's literally not hurting anyone.
But someone can't stand the thought of some people getting a break if it doesn't benefit them.
You're going to give yourself a heart attack
...long before coronavirus gets you.
Lighten up, Francis. It really isn't that big a deal.
Parking meters are also in
Parking meters are also in residential neighborhoods. Also, often people live in apartments above retail... typical of all cities. In our neighborhood, if you are parked at a meter, every 2 hours you have to move it to a different meter on a different block. At a time when people are advised to shelter in place so as not to spread the virus, it's better to not go in and out of apartment buildings, ie shared common areas, more than necessary.
Keep people off the streets
In case you hadn't noticed, we're trying to keep people inside and away from others. Suspending alternate side of the street parking keeps people inside. Only ticketing for dangerous offenses (hydrants, handicapped parking) means fewer workers out there doing parking enforcement. It also decreases their encounters with furious car owners, thereby lessening their risk of catching COVID-19.
Furious car owners? You mean
Furious car owners? You mean like doctors and nurses? So sorry to bother you. Keep burying your head in the sand.
To all the haters, if you've
To all the haters, if you've ever taken an Uber or a Lyft you can go f*ck yourselves. Sure, people with pre-exisiting conditions should just hop on public transportation right now! Try to find a little tiny bit of compassion for people who are struggling right now.
What am I missing?
What do Uber or Lyft have to do with this?
Why such a narrow change?
This policy seems so specific, especially in light of the unprecedented situation we're in right now. If the goal is to get more people to stay at home (including BTD "meter maids"), why not follow Cambridge's example and suspend all meter collections, period?
They shouldn't be enforcing
They shouldn't be enforcing meters and time limits at all. An unnecessary risk to personnel and citizens. Enforce safety measures (hydrants, crosswalks, double parking) only.
Interesting
I don't have a permit because I don't need one where I live (yes, in Boston). But, you can bet I'll apply for one.