By Adam Swift
A pilot program aims to give people parking at some meters on Broadway a 15-minute grace period to park in front of businesses and run their errands.
Monday night, the city council’s economic development subcommittee gave a positive recommendation to a motion filed by councillors Joanne McKenna and Paul Argenzio regarding the activation of the meter program on Broadway. The motion asked the mayor request that the traffic commission assess the activation of the 15 minute grace period button on parking meters in the Broadway Central Business District. The activation of this feature will provide customers with free parking for 15 minutes to run quick errands without being penalized, according to McKenna and Argenzio.
The city had previously ordered the equipment that will activate the grace period buttons for all the meters on Shirley Avenue. The pilot program on Broadway will include about eight meters to begin with, according to McKenna.
“Councillor Argenzio and I had put this (motion) in because the patrons and the businesses were upset because … people couldn’t pick up their takeout, pick up their drycleaning, they were getting ticketed,” said McKenna.
McKenna said the equipment allows for a green button on the meters that people can press to get 15 minutes of the free parking. She noted that the city received a grant to install the equipment on all the meters on Shirley Avenue, while there was no grant for the pilot program of about eight spaces to start on Broadway.
The equipment on the meters should be installed early next year, McKenna said.
“I sit on the parking advisory commission … and we have talked about this at length,” said Argenzio. “The reason we are just doing a pilot program on Broadway is to see the effect it has on the revenue, as they can tell on each meter how much revenue comes in. If it is successful, then it will take some more money out of the parking advisory kitty that we have and expand the program.”
Argenzio said he believes the pilot program will be good for businesses and patrons, giving them time to run into a business without fear of getting a parking ticket.
Councillor-at-Large Robert Haas III said he supported the program, and said he would also like to see some education for residents on how to operate the new meter system. “This is a great idea, and Shirley Avenue is raring to go, we are just waiting for the parts and equipment to come in to get the things rolling by the end of the winter,” said Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky. “It saves a lot of people a lot of aggravation.”
