There’s an effort underway to repeal Newton’s winter parking ban. Courtesy photo
A City Council committee may decide soon whether to repeal or modify Newton’s hotly debated winter overnight parking ban.
The Council’s Public Safety and Transportation Committee heard public input March 4 and debated the measure but ultimately decided to put the issue on hold..
Jeremey Freudberg, co-leader of the group Repeal the Ban, urged the council to act.
“Indeed the overnight parking bin is or does pose a hardship for a lot of people,” Freundberg said.
Freundberg said the council could consider changing the timeframe of the winter ban, its geographic boundaries and who the ban applies to.
The ban prohibits cars from parking on any public roads in Newton from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. from Dec. 1 until March 31. A violation can result in a $25 fine.
The parking ban has been around since 1930. In 2014, the fine increased from $5 to $25. Last November, the city narrowly voted against repealing the ban.
Maren Coniglione, who lives in Newton Corner, said residents waste time moving their cars to different spots to avoid fines. She said some driveways don’t have enough space for the homeowners’ cars.
“People that are most affected are intergenerational households, people with disabilities, residents with overnight health aides, and houses that just don’t have any parking,” Coniglione said.
Coniglione said the municipal lots are inconvenient and residents have to compete for spots with local businesses.
Other residents said they worry that lifting the ban would pose hazards, adding more blockage to streets already heavy with snowpiles.
“You just can’t lift the ban. I mean, even driving here tonight, I saw two accidents with the snowpiles,” said Terry Sauro, resident of Nonantum. “The streets have to be cleared and they have to be safe.”
After hearing the speakers, the committee discussed next steps.
“We heard a lot of solutions,” said City Councilor Sean Roche, “but I would like us to be clear on what the goals are so we can evaluate what those solutions are against those goals.”
Some of Roche’s goals for a modified parking ban included making street space for emergency vehicles, creating an equitable experience among residents and visitors, and making it simple to administer and enforce.
Committee members said they were open to restructuring the ban but not eliminating it entirely.
Suggestions that came up in the meeting included providing permits to people with medical or caregiver jobs, and restricting parking to one side of a street. The councilors said regulations and restrictions may look different for each neighborhood.
“I agree that there are equity issues here, but it is also something that we want to do very carefully,” said Councilor Randy Block.
Chair Tarik Lucas asked his fellow councilors to come to the next meeting with their own goals and said he hopes to create a more solid idea of how they would modify the ban.
Once the committee is able to “parse out” these goals, Lucas said, it could create a working group to start structuring a new parking ban for next winter.
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This story is part of a partnership between the Newton Beacon and the Boston University Department of Journalism.