A proposal by Councilor Michelle Wu (at large) to start charging non-poor residents with parking permits got a rough reception at a City Council meeting today.
While Councilors Kim Janey (Roxbury) and Lydia Edwards (East Boston, Charlestown, Northh End) praised her her for starting a conversation on a tough issue - what to do about rising numbers of cars in a city with a finite number of on-street parking spaces that increasingly forces people to spend up an hour circling blocks looking for a parking space - other councilors thundered the proposal would help drive the middle class out of the city.
Those councilors said they want proof the city is actually doing something about suburbanites driving into Boston and taking up valuable parking spaces without fear of getting ticketed and about the herds of Uber and Lyft vehicles circling the city with their suburban riders.
City Councilor Michael Flaherty (at large) - who admitted his family has five cars - said the MBTA could solve the whole problem by eliminating what he said were tons of superfluous bus stops and letting the city turn them into parking spaces. "It's 2019 and we don't need a bus stop on every corner, and they don't need to be a football field in length," he said. "They don't."
That alone would free up "hundreds and hundreds" of parking spaces in every single neighborhood, he said.
Flaherty predicted that if Wu's proposal passed, all that would happen would be an increase in fraudulent handicap permits as people flock to their doctors to get the paperwork they need for them. He said Wu's proposal would especially hurt people who live in the city's densest and fastest growing areas in East Boston, Charlestown, the South End and South Boston.
"This hurts middle class families," City Councilor Tim McCarthy (Hyde Park, Roslindale, Mattapan) said, after acknowledging his district actually has very few streets designated as resident only.
McCarthy - already upset he pays $97 a year in Boston excise tax on his 2001 car, rather than the $8 he says he would pay if he moved a few blocks to Dedham - says "I'd like to rip open the Band-aid on Uber and Lyft and make them pay." Adding a ride-share surcharge during business hours would raise more than enough money to solve a host of Boston transportation issues, he said.
"I care about the citizens of Boston; I don't care about the citizens of Dedham, Westwood and Canton," he said.
Such an effort to tax ride-share riders might require action by the state legislature and Gov. Baker; in 2016, Baker signed a law limiting ride-share regulation to the state.
Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George (at large) also pointed to the out-of-town nature of many ride-share drivers and passengers and surburbanites who drive into town "abusing and using our streets without giving any resources." She added, "We need to make sure w'ere enforcing rules we have on our books right now. before we start to punish those who have cars."
Wu's proposal would exempt low-income residents and home-healthcare and certain school workers from a proposed $25 annual fee. Still, City Council President Andrea Campbell (Dorchester, Mattapan) said she would be particularly concerned about the impact on the low-income residents of her district. Already, she said, people who live near the Ashmont T stop are having problems finding parking spaces as growing numbers of suburbanites drive in and park on their streets - and she said people across her district have told her they are thinking of moving because of the high rates they pay on insurance.
Wu said that all of Mattapan currently has just nine cars with resident permits; that her proposal would only affect people living in areas that have resident-parking prohibitions. She said roughly 40% of the cars registered in Boston are now in neighborhoods with such programs.
City Councilor Althea Garrison (at large), who said she wants to see police enforce existing resident-only spaces first, predicted the proposed $25 fee would soon rocket up to $100 or $250 in just a few years. And she took a dig at Wu, who has also called for eliminating fares on the T: "We cannot have it both ways; we cannot say you should not pay to ride the T and then turn around and charge for parking permits."
The council took no formal action on her proposal; instead, it now goes to a committee for a public hearing.
Watch the discussion:
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Comments
It must have taken a herculean effort
By me
Thu, 04/25/2019 - 1:30pm
for Wu to have refrained from doing a double take
The Flaherty Plan for
By Mr Smith
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 3:22pm
The Flaherty Plan for Effective City Living:
- Block new housing
- Stop new bike lanes
- Remove bus stops
- Blame traffic congestion on handicapped placard abuse
- Own fives cars and expect to park them for free
- Earn two six-figure paychecks as a City Councilor and Partner at law firm.
Two consecutive Terms Limit for Boston City Council !
By theszak
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 8:26pm
Two consecutive Terms Limit for Boston City Council please!
A codicil to your first one:
By Steve Brady
Thu, 04/25/2019 - 10:50am
A codicil to your first one:
-Watch the value of his house skyrocket
Are these people seriously
By cden4
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 3:25pm
Are these people seriously arguing about someone who owns a car paying another 7 cents per day for the privilege of limiting who can park on their street? Most people spend more than that at Dunkin'
Donuts.Yup, peak car owner
By RalphM
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 5:48pm
Yup, peak car owner entitlement
Excise taxes vary based on community?
By Ari O
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 3:27pm
Hey that's news to me! I didn't know there was some huge discount to garage my car in Dedham. Or it's possible that McCarthy is full of baloney. Based on that:
It doesn't say "all Massachusetts residents, except those living in Dedham, must pay an excise tax." It would be really nice if the lawmakers had some even loose grip on, you know, the law.
Also, what kind of fancy-schmancy car is this? $97 excise tax is based on $25 per $1000 or the original sales price, and 10% of that for cars older than 5 years. So, $97*(1000/25)*10 = $38800, for a list price in 2001, so $56,000 in current dollars. If you can afford a $50,000 car, you can afford the excise tax on that car (which, as previously mentioned, you have to pay no matter where you live).
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there is a Dedham exemption.
Tell me about how upset you
By anon
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 4:07pm
Tell me about how upset you are McCarthy - per his public campaign finance reports - he pays his car insurance and car payment from his campaign funds. Boo boo McCarthy.
The struggle is real.
If you can’t afford the $25
By Murkin
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 3:31pm
If you can’t afford the $25 permit fee then you should not own a car.
You can watch the discussion for yourself
By adamg
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 3:32pm
I've added it to the bottom of the original post.
Have you been to the pump lately?
By Gary C
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 3:47pm
Even a Prius will cost you over $25 to tank up once. Paying $25 to park for 365 days would not be a burden to anyone who owns and drives a car.
I have an idea:
By anon
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 3:57pm
I have an idea:
Charge market rate for parking permits, and allow anyone to buy them regardless of residence. And don't require an annual permit -- let people pay for a few hours as well.
Note that market rate is not the same thing as what a nearby garage charges, since street parking isn't as good as a garage, and there's no private owner who needs to make a profit. And it would be close to $0 in neighborhoods with street parking to spare.
Taxi & Liquor License
By Dennis Cloherty
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 10:57pm
Issue no more permits and let the current owners sell them like liquor licenses and Taxi medallions
"surburbanites who [aren't] giving any resources"
By Capt. Obvious
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 4:23pm
Huh? I don't like suburbanites any more than anyone else (and I've been one now for a decade), but what point is Ms. George trying to make?
If she's referring to commuters, then OK-- they might take a space, but whether it "belongs" to someone who lives near said space is questionable.
But if she's talking about people who are coming into town to shop, go to restaurants, and otherwise spend money without taking other resources than a parking space, then that's a win for the city: Money goes in, little to no money comes out. Tourists aren't taking city dollars out, really, not in a significant way anyway. Whether this Is a good thing for the city overall is another question, but the economic/resource argument is leaky.
An example - on my (non
By anon
Thu, 04/25/2019 - 2:00pm
An example - on my (non permit) street, there are very very few spaces between around 6am and 7 pm. because the neighborhood is so busy, right? nope, lots of spaces and availability on the weekends, holidays, evenings. people from dedham, norwood, etc, drive in and park, so they can walk to the commuter rail station without paying zone 2, 3, 4 fees. they cause traffic during rush hour, put wear and tear on the streets, leave trash, and endanger pedestrians, and the city gets nothing out of it.
The city gets the major tax
By anon
Fri, 04/26/2019 - 10:24am
The city gets the major tax revenue from the downtown building they work in.
Do the residents who need those parking spaces somehow not cause traffic or put wear and tear on the streets, and are universally better drivers towards pedestrians and responsible with their trash? Or are you generalizing and shifting blame?
Space savers permanently,
By anon
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 4:41pm
Space savers permanently, deadly force authorized, problem solved.
so only suburbanites use
By anon
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 5:35pm
so only suburbanites use rideshares now?
mbta sucks....please don't make them raise my uber/lyft rates.
Yup. Anything you don't like
By anon
Thu, 04/25/2019 - 11:11am
Yup. Anything you don't like is the fault of outsiders. And we have to reserve privileges and public resources for people like us.
Sound familiar? These selfish us-versus-them ideas are right in line with the orange guy on Twitter.
More Candidates for District 6 ! WRoxbury JP Roslindale Roxbury
By theszak
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 6:48pm
More Candidates for Boston City Council District 6 please! West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, Roxbury, Mission Hill, BackOfTheHill. https://www.universalhub.com/comment/726241#commen...
BPS parking lots
By anon
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 8:03pm
are loaded with vehicles with out of state plates every evening. The Mayor enables these tax scofflaws to do this because he refuses to post these City properties with Rsdidrnt Parking signs. You want $25? Get it from these people.
Another local entitlement
By cinnamngrl
Thu, 04/25/2019 - 5:48pm
The schools should rent the spaces during non school hours. It would be tough though because many schools have employees that work long hours and activities in the evening. Renting parking out nights and evening is big business.
ok, wow
By cinnamngrl
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 8:51pm
How can an elected official not realize that bus stops are close together because of disabled and elderly riders? When I lived in southie the state rep used to stop at broadway to grab any elderly constituent.
I think that if you just did an audit of how much administrating these resident stickers cost it would be fine. Even if we don't accomplish any "green" goals i think we can pay as we go.
Take a look at bus stops in
By VoiceOfReason
Thu, 04/25/2019 - 1:21pm
Take a look at bus stops in the suburbs. Are there no elderly and disabled there? The best s stops aren’t on every corner.
density
By cinnamngrl
Fri, 04/26/2019 - 12:06pm
density
ok, wow
By cinnamngrl
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 8:55pm
.
McCarthy - already upset he
By erik g
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 9:38pm
Do y'all remember the last scene in The Lion King, when Scar tries to weasel out of all of the horrible things he's done by blaming the hyenas, but then the hyenas hear him throwing them under the bus and even though he thinks he's gotten away with it, then they tear his throat out?
No reason, just wondering if you've watched it recently.
Unrelated: I guess you could say I'm in favor of Mr. McCarthy moving a few blocks down the street to Dedham, and then running for public office again.
Bonus unrelated fact: MA excise tax on cars more than 5 years old is .25%. If he's paying $97/year in excise tax, his car cost 2/3 as much as the average household in his constituency makes in a year.
But what if he did the frugal
By anon
Thu, 04/25/2019 - 11:16am
But what if he did the frugal thing and bought that car used?
Reform and enforce the handicap parking fraud
By O-FISH-L
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 10:02pm
True but people have long been flocking to their doctor for fraudulent handicap permits long before Wu's proposal. Who could blame them when there is no enforcement for doctor or applicant. Much like Oxycontin in the 90's, it seems anyone can obtain a permit from their doctor simply by asking. One qualifier is unable to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest. The catchall is any other medically debilitating qualifying condition. How about anxiety at the thought of not getting a space outside the front door?
While the plan was well intended in the 70's for paraplegics just beginning to make use of advanced appliances that allowed them to drive, the original handicap parking program required an unmistakable MA license plate with the wheelchair symbol as the first character. This was deemed a stigma on the disabled so they switched to a placard with the picture of the disabled person but almost immediately allowed the driver (in many cases an able bodied family member) to cover the identifying photo for "privacy" reasons. Reporting the death of the card holder is voluntary. In many cases, the permit is simply passed down as a matter of inheritance. Although the city keeps death certificates, I'm not aware of any communication to BTD to remove signs from in front of homes of the deceased. It's essentially a free for all. If a motorist can get by the moral issue and occassional dirty looks, they'd be crazy not to get one.
Since the Registry Police merged with the MSP in 1992, there's nobody dedicated to seriously investigating these things. I can assure you there is no police academy training in the matter. If anything it's suggested that officers avoid the matter so as not to appear insensitive.
" Reporting the death of the card holder is voluntary."
By cat
Thu, 04/25/2019 - 11:39am
When a funeral home notifies Social Security of the deceased's passing; that info is apparently also shared with other government agencies.
My father died one year ago. Within 60 days of his passing; I, as his Personal Representative/Executor, received a notice from the RMV to return his H/C placard. Policies are changing - slowly - but they are changing.
It took me a couple of years for the Registry to approve my request. I was undergoing several surgeries and had limited physical capability. I ended up going in to the Medical Affairs office in my motorized scooter with my application before finally being approved. Medical Affairs was in Chinatown at the time. I was in tears by the time I got upstairs to the administrative offices.
I could spend days arguing with you over your thoughts on the H/C placard. It all depends on which side of the windshield you sit what your opinion on the matter is.
Don't get me started on H/C parking scofflaws driving 'official' vehicles - both marked and unmarked.....
Parking
By Dennis Cloherty
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 9:50pm
"our parking spaces" People have been storing their iron on public property so long they think they own it.
Wiki
By cybah
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 9:59pm
Sorry I had to share.. too funny
And yes it's real
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_F._Flaherty
PS - Adam, I can no longer directly insert tweets with the full embedded tweet.
Streets and Ways
By Dennis Cloherty
Wed, 04/24/2019 - 10:23pm
There are different categories of Streets. Streets that have been accepted by a municipal corporation are their property and obligation to repair and plow. Unaccepted streets generally become municipal property after 6 years of use. Private ways remain the property of the abutting owner to the middle of the way. However they only own the land under the street. Generally everyone in the subdivision has a right of usage. It is illegal to park on a private way, but rarely enforced. One must first go police chiefing and post a sign.
Parking fee for residents.
By RozzeeGirl
Fri, 04/26/2019 - 3:33pm
Re: Wu Parking Permit Idea
If every household buys one or two parking permits, will they feel that no non-residents have no right to park on city streets? If family members or friends visit, will they be able to park on the street? The parking congestion is due to the fact, that there are many places we have to go to in a timely matter because there is not enough public transportation options. Also, some people may not feel comfortable waiting for a bus very late in the evening. The problem also is that the city is permitting new housing construction that does not provide at least one parking space per unit. Or, if they do, there is a fee to take advantage of the parking because of an additional fee to park in the development. There are many issues to be discussed and implemented before seeking a cost of living in the city and owning a car.
Her proposal includes a
By cinnamngrl
Fri, 04/26/2019 - 7:50pm
Her proposal includes a visitor pass. And you are wrong about new housing too. It is impossible to get a building approved without parking. There have been a couple of buildings next to subway stations without parking, but those residents are specifically denied resident parking.
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