The Dorchester Reporter reports some Fields Corner merchants have asked BTD to look at installing meters as a way of freeing up some spaces from day-long freeloaders who park, then get on the Red Line.
I was always a bit surprised there were no meters in Fields Corner when I worked down there. It was incredibly frustrating because you would see the same cars over and over again for hours on end. So many of the businesses in that section are classic stop and grab locations, people aren't going to park blocks away so they can get their flowers, coffee or take out... They will just roll down to the bigger places a mile away with parking lots instead. It is a vibrant busy downtown district , they need turnover of parking or they will start to lose those local places that have been holding the community together. Local Vietnamese places are especially vulnerable as prices increase, add on not being able to get to the spots and you have a recipe for future closures.
Be wary of BTD. That they are proposing 1 hour meters in Roslindale Square is a sign that they sometimes don't really look into the needs of a commercial district.
2 hour meters? Great idea for encouraging turnover while allowing people to patronize the local businesses.
The spaces reserved for buses on Dorchester Ave are always filled by cars. There is also no enforcement in MBTA kiss and ride parking at Ashmont station, and buses cannot turn when cars are illegally parked in front of Dunkin on Dorchester Ave.
At least a decade ago in Allston, the city put up parking meters on Comm. Ave where there never were any previously. Those spaces were free parking, end of story.
Without advance notice to the community, new meters were installed. The very same day, folks were getting parking tickets for unpaid meters.
How stupid is that? You park in the morning where there is no meter, come back from wherever you work at the end of your busy day and having dealt with the wonderful people on the Green Line trolley only to find your car parked at a meter with a ticket on your windshield.
The BTD enforcement crew (meter maids for the old folks...) should've been told to not do anything until the following day. Sheesh!
Revenue isn’t the point. Dropping 8 nickels to pay for 2 hours of parking is the same as the $6 an hour they charge in the Back Bay. The point should be that the 2 hours don’t come and go, and a meter is a way to show the passage of time.
There’s a meter in Olympia, Washington where you can get 15 minutes for a penny. You can’t stay more than that 15 minutes, though.
It's really refreshing to see a business community get that poor parking management harms their sales. The similar proposal for Roslindale Square is getting inexplicable pushback from some business owners, who would rather see the streets as their own personal parking lots.
Any idea why the business owners in Roslindale Square might have an issue with the time limit going from 2 hours to 1 hour?
In times past, I could see the issue with would be customers not having the coins for the meter, but since you can pay through a phone app, that's less of an issue nowadays.
When the new high rise apartments get built on Dot Ave, the 18 will need more frequency. A rush hour bus lane between Field's Corner and Savin Hill would help. Most of the shops don't open until 10am.
The parking should be an hour, not 2. Perhaps some overnight residential parking on the side streets too.
Comments
It’s a no-brainer
.
Or.....
Alternate idea. Enforce the existing 2 hour parking signs.
I was always a bit surprised
I was always a bit surprised there were no meters in Fields Corner when I worked down there. It was incredibly frustrating because you would see the same cars over and over again for hours on end. So many of the businesses in that section are classic stop and grab locations, people aren't going to park blocks away so they can get their flowers, coffee or take out... They will just roll down to the bigger places a mile away with parking lots instead. It is a vibrant busy downtown district , they need turnover of parking or they will start to lose those local places that have been holding the community together. Local Vietnamese places are especially vulnerable as prices increase, add on not being able to get to the spots and you have a recipe for future closures.
It's a good idea, but
Be wary of BTD. That they are proposing 1 hour meters in Roslindale Square is a sign that they sometimes don't really look into the needs of a commercial district.
2 hour meters? Great idea for encouraging turnover while allowing people to patronize the local businesses.
Bus stop parking restrictions are not enforced
The spaces reserved for buses on Dorchester Ave are always filled by cars. There is also no enforcement in MBTA kiss and ride parking at Ashmont station, and buses cannot turn when cars are illegally parked in front of Dunkin on Dorchester Ave.
Funny BTD story
At least a decade ago in Allston, the city put up parking meters on Comm. Ave where there never were any previously. Those spaces were free parking, end of story.
Without advance notice to the community, new meters were installed. The very same day, folks were getting parking tickets for unpaid meters.
How stupid is that? You park in the morning where there is no meter, come back from wherever you work at the end of your busy day and having dealt with the wonderful people on the Green Line trolley only to find your car parked at a meter with a ticket on your windshield.
The BTD enforcement crew (meter maids for the old folks...) should've been told to not do anything until the following day. Sheesh!
Wasn't a full decade
2017 or 2018. That was the beginning of the end of Allston.
Notice how it's always "We need to raise revenue." It's never "We're going to spend more responsibly."
Ideally
Revenue isn’t the point. Dropping 8 nickels to pay for 2 hours of parking is the same as the $6 an hour they charge in the Back Bay. The point should be that the 2 hours don’t come and go, and a meter is a way to show the passage of time.
There’s a meter in Olympia, Washington where you can get 15 minutes for a penny. You can’t stay more than that 15 minutes, though.
Why doesn't BTD just do their
Why doesn't BTD just do their jobs and enforce the 2 hour parking?
Glad to see business owners push for this
It's really refreshing to see a business community get that poor parking management harms their sales. The similar proposal for Roslindale Square is getting inexplicable pushback from some business owners, who would rather see the streets as their own personal parking lots.
Sigh
Any idea why the business owners in Roslindale Square might have an issue with the time limit going from 2 hours to 1 hour?
In times past, I could see the issue with would be customers not having the coins for the meter, but since you can pay through a phone app, that's less of an issue nowadays.
Kudos for...
calling it Dot Ave. in the story title.
Being a DotRat from way back, that's the proper way to call it for us OFD folks.
Also a bus lane
When the new high rise apartments get built on Dot Ave, the 18 will need more frequency. A rush hour bus lane between Field's Corner and Savin Hill would help. Most of the shops don't open until 10am.
The parking should be an hour, not 2. Perhaps some overnight residential parking on the side streets too.