Press Releases: Current News & Press 2009 Archives 2008 Archives 2007 Archives 2006 Archives 2005 Archives

November 12, 2009

PERMIT PARKING CHANGES TO GO INTO EFFECT ON JANUARY 4TH

Sign Installation Begins Nov. 16; Warnings Issued Starting December 21; No Tickets to Be Written until after New Year’s Weekend; Citywide Connect CTY Calls Scheduled for Nov. 15, Dec. 19, Jan. 2

SOMERVILLE - Acting Director of Traffic and Parking James Kotzuba announced today that changes to the City's permit parking rules will become fully effective on Monday, January 4, 2010.  Contractors will begin installing new signs on affected streets during the week of November 16^th, and Parking Control Officers (PCOs) will follow up the sign installation by placing multilingual flyers on all vehicles parked on affected streets. PCOs will begin issuing warnings (with no fines) on December 21^st, but will not issue actual violations of the new rules until January 4^th.

The new regulations, which extend permit parking to the remaining one third of Somerville streets that were unregulated, had originally been set by a May 21^st vote of the City's Traffic Commission to go into effect on August 1^st.  Implementation was delayed for five months in order to make additional modifications to the city's parking policies based on recommendations from the Parking Solutions Task Force - an advisory body of residents, business leaders, and public officials appointed by the mayor - and from the public.

"We've seen many improvements to these policies over the past several months," said Kotzuba, "and the work of the Task Force will go on.  Even though we are proceeding with full implementation, we are also looking at additional ways to fine-tune the new policies.  We've already made major changes to hours, to streets affected, to permitting for businesses, and to other aspects of the new policies, and we'll keep working."

Kotzuba also said that the Traffic and Parking Department is looking at the possibility of offering special Saturday hours on Nov. 21^st and Dec. 5^th to make it easier for residents who need new resident or visitor permits to pick them up in advance of the Jan 4^th final deadline.  "We will finalize our plans later this week and begin promoting them immediately, said Kotzuba.  "Saturday hours will give the public more access, and we will also look at whether to offer some additional evening hours."  T&P's offices at 133 Holland Street are already open until 7 p.m. every Thursday evening.

Beginning on Sunday, Nov. 15^th, the City's Communications Department will make three separate citywide reminder calls using the connect CTY mass notification system.

For additional information about parking policy changes, permit costs and availability, and the implementation schedule, please call 311 (617-666-3311 outside the city) or visit the City's website at www.somervillema.gov.

VIEW PARKING REGULATIONS ROLLOUT CALENDAR HERE