Overnight Onstreet Parking

[eltron]

Opposite side parking rules, works in Boston, works in New York. There is no excuse the city of Providence can give not to allow overnight parking, it's simply ridiculous.

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I completely agree, as has been brought up in the previous thread on this topic: this is one of the issues that will keep Providence from being a "real" city. Much like the current zoning, it stems from a very backward, 50's suburban mindset.

But really, talk to the peeps on College Hill. They're the ones that are holding up any progress on the issue.

[Cotuit]

But really, talk to the peeps on College Hill. They're the ones that are holding up any progress on the issue.

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And as we discussed before, there doesn't need to be one blanket parking policy for every street in the city. We have the technology to make different parking signs for different streets. If people on College Hill want residential streets to have resident parking only (or even no overnight parking) that doesn't mean the streets Downcity or the streets on Federal Hill can't have different parking policies.

Allow overnight parking on Brook, Hope, and Thayer, and make the rest of College Hill no parking, or parking by permit. Or allow no parking anywhere ever on College Hill and watch it become a ghost town as the West Side and Olneyville become the new retail centers of the city. College Hillers should just be careful what they wish for, do they really want to trade places with Olneyville?

[ArtInRuins]

But really, talk to the peeps on College Hill. They're the ones that are holding up any progress on the issue.

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Actually, Thom Deller and some outside consulting group (from Boston, i believe) have been looking into the issue city wide. I am in a similar situation, I own a house without parking that has been there since 1896. I dont want to add a driveway, because my lot is only 80' x 50' and i would lose precious green space. And more so, i live on a dead end, and the street is practically my driveway.

I've been vocal on this issue and have traded letters with various people... the mayor, and Mr Deller included. His last response to me was something like "we know about the issue and are conducting a study to see what some solutions might be". No idea about a timeframe or any specifics. i assume they are not just looking into the east side but the city as a whole. BTW- Pawtucket does not have a similar ban, and they do just fine.

[Frankie811]

Actually, Thom Deller and some outside consulting group (from Boston, i believe) have been looking into the issue city wide. I am in a similar situation, I own a house without parking that has been there since 1896. I dont want to add a driveway, because my lot is only 80' x 50' and i would lose precious green space. And more so, i live on a dead end, and the street is practically my driveway.

I've been vocal on this issue and have traded letters with various people... the mayor, and Mr Deller included. His last response to me was something like "we know about the issue and are conducting a study to see what some solutions might be". No idea about a timeframe or any specifics. i assume they are not just looking into the east side but the city as a whole. BTW- Pawtucket does not have a similar ban, and they do just fine.

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So how was Wyoming?

[ruchele]

I dont want to add a driveway, because my lot is only 80' x 50' and i would lose precious green space.

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My landlord has a crew out there paving our yard at this very moment- love the smell of asphalt in the morning! I'm so ticked off about the whole thing.

It's not just Pawtucket who allows overnight parking- it's practically everywhere in the world. Last I talked to Thom Deller about it, he were saying they were going to CHARGE a couple hundred dollars a year to park on the street. He said that's what Boston does, and seemed flummoxed when told him street parking is mostly FREE in Boston- and just about everywhere else. People here just seem completely bewildered by the idea. It's totally outrageous, especially considering the health impacts of having so little green space- asthma, etc.

It seems like P&D is constantly "studying" and "looking into" the idea. I think it's getting to be time that people just demand a change be made. I realize the polls say people are pretty evenly divided on the issue, but I'm sure there are asthma, heat index, air quality, child health, etc. statistics out there that can sway the argumnt in the favor of pro-parking.

[Sin5Cents]

Here's the last I heard of the issue:

http://www.projo.com/metro/content/projo_2...rk6.10ce5b.html

Seems like people will have hovercraft that they can park above their houses by the time the city resolves this.

For the OP, you may not want to hear something like this... but if you move your car at 3 a.m., that'll buy you an extension until 5 a.m. The law states that the police must observe the car in one place for two hours before they can ticket.

[Jenkins]

That may not be the law any more. I was in traffic court and a case went up before mine that had to do with overnight parking. I believe the judge said that the law about observing the car twice is no longer on the books. The new law says no car is allowed parked on the streets after 2am(?maybe?).

[citygirl]

My landlord has a crew out there paving our yard at this very moment-  love the smell of asphalt in the morning!  I'm so ticked off about the whole thing. 

It's not just Pawtucket who allows overnight parking-  it's practically everywhere in the world.  Last I talked to Thom Deller about it, he were saying they were going to CHARGE a couple hundred dollars a year to park on the street.  He said that's what Boston does, and seemed flummoxed when told him street parking is mostly FREE in Boston- and just about everywhere else.  People here just seem completely bewildered by the idea. It's totally outrageous, especially considering the health impacts of having so little green space- asthma, etc.

It seems like P&D is constantly "studying" and "looking into" the idea.  I think it's getting to be time that people just demand a change be made.  I realize the polls say people are pretty evenly divided on the issue, but I'm sure there are asthma, heat index, air quality, child health, etc. statistics out there that can sway the argumnt in the favor of pro-parking.

I have lived in Boston and Washington DC (both of course much more congrested than Providence!) and confirm that real cities have not banned overnight parking!  The excuse I've heard is that on-street parking impedes emergency and police vehicles.  Why this only happens after dark is not explained.  Then the excuse is that street cleaning would be impeded.  Both DC and Boston have scheduled days (what a concept!) and times and people have to move their cars during that time or be ticketed. 

In addition to all the other socially adverse effects of banning street parking, the city has yet to understand that it must comply with new stormwater regulations.  The more we pave over the landscape, the harder and more expensive it will be to handle the volume of stormwater we're creating.

Why is this so hard?

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[pads2]

That may not be the law any more. I was in traffic court and a case went up before mine that had to do with overnight parking. I believe the judge said that the law about observing the car twice is no longer on the books. The new law says no car is allowed parked on the streets after 2am(?maybe?).

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The regulation now says no parking 3-6am, but you can be tagged right away (don't need to be there for 2 hours).

My understanding is that there's a very good chance a pilot overnight permit program will be going into place late summer. Forums in july/august.

[Frankie811]

(Providence, RI) -- The city of Providence has hired an expert to find solutions to the "challenges" of downtown parking. Finding a space downtown has never been an easy task, and city officials say unprecedented economic development activity has made it even more difficult. Mayor David Cicilline has announced the hiring of a consultant to assist the city in developing a comprehensive parking strategy. Andrew Miller will work with the Providence Off-Street Parking Corporation to develop a system that meets the needs of increased activity in the downtown and neighborhoods. Miller and the Corporation will consider a combination of options including on-street parking, off-street parking, and the construction of parking garages.

http://www.providenceri.com/press/article.php?id=209

[Frankie811]

http://www.projo.com/metro/content/projo_2...k1.2412da5.html

[ruchele]

Just a heads-up: Look for an article in the Phoenix about parking in Providence, including the overnight parking rule. The article should run by the end of August.

[Frankie811]

Just a heads-up: Look for an article in the Phoenix about parking in Providence, including the overnight parking rule. The article should run by the end of August.

http://www.providencephoenix.com/features/...ts/05004972.asp

[Garris]

This is an interesting paragraph from the article, relating to subsidizing parking garages:

The city nonetheless hopes to announce two more public-private partnerships, at LaSalle Square and the Garrahy Courthouse, by the end of this year.

Wonder what that's all about...

- Garris

[Cotuit]

The city nonetheless hopes to announce two more public-private partnerships, at LaSalle Square and the Garrahy Courthouse, by the end of this year.

The Garrahy Garage has been proposed for some time, and has been spoken about as a certainty, though I don't know if deals have been signed and money allocated or anything yet.

LaSalle, I would have to assume is the Old Public Safety Complex. Duany suggested parking there during his charrette. There's plenty of room for a garage on the Broadway side, and more if Broadway is narrowed (which it should be).

[Cotuit]

The city also began introducing "pay-and-display" kiosks this year, which allow multiple cars to pay for parking at a single machine (although some motorists, with the absence of traditional meters, might not realize they

[Liamlunchtray]

Any recent updates on Overnight parking? I keep hearing about "pilot programs" but I never hear any solid dates or areas.

[Frankie811]

Any recent updates on Overnight parking? I keep hearing about "pilot programs" but I never hear any solid dates or areas.

Try to be as patient as a buzzard on a slow day in Death Valley on this one.

[vindogg22]

Just wondering if someone could find me a link to the actual law banning overnight parking in Providence. I have scoured the code of ordinances and the city charter and found only a listing of fines, not the actual wording and definition of the ordinance. Thanks for the help, I am gonna fight until my eyes bleed......or until I go broke from paying parking tickets and have to move from the city I love.

[lld]

Just wondering if someone could find me a link to the actual law banning overnight parking in Providence. I have scoured the code of ordinances and the city charter and found only a listing of fines, not the actual wording and definition of the ordinance. Thanks for the help, I am gonna fight until my eyes bleed......or until I go broke from paying parking tickets and have to move from the city I love.

it's a traffic regulation, promulgated by the traffic engineer -- not an ordinance

[chaz200]

it's a traffic regulation, promulgated by the traffic engineer -- not an ordinance

This is the listing for the traffic engineer:

Traffic Engineering

60 Ernest St. 02905

Phone: (401) 781-4044 or 421-7740 ext.319, 320

According to Article IX 2-159 printed copies of the regulations are to be made available to the public. I don't know if they actually have them or not but that can be a start.

[LMWW]

Okay, I'm not saying this to be provocative, but I have had one fairly consistent observation about the overnight parking ban.

I used to live on the East Side/Wayland Square. Our neighbor would park overnight on a side street (we were on a corner) and NEVER get ticketed. On occasion, we would forget that we left our car in the street, and would wake up to find no ticket on our car.

Well, we moved to the West Side this past summer. It is without fail that if someone leaves their car on the street overnight, they will get a ticket. When I drive to work in the morning, I see plenty of orange slips of paper flopping in the wind....

So has anyone else noticed this? I feel like there's an inconsistency in the rate of enforcement of the overnight ban across the different neighborhoods. And I don't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but there is a noticeable (albeit shrinking) difference in socioeconomics between these two parts of town.

(And I'm not bitter - I have actually never received one of these tickets!)

[brick]

So has anyone else noticed this? I feel like there's an inconsistency in the rate of enforcement of the overnight ban across the different neighborhoods. And I don't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but there is a noticeable (albeit shrinking) difference in socioeconomics between these two parts of town.

There is probably quite a large difference in the amount of police activity.

I don't think there is a concious effort at play, I just think there are more cops in that area.

[ruchele]

I feel like there's an inconsistency in the rate of enforcement of the overnight ban across the different neighborhoods. And I don't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but there is a noticeable (albeit shrinking) difference in socioeconomics between these two parts of town.

Other observers feel that MORE tickets are given out on the East Side for exactly the same reason- because residents with expensive real estate don't want students and riff-raff parking in the neighborhood. Seems like perceptions of this are pretty subjective.

[runawayjim]

i'm just getting in on this discussion...

re: permit parking... it doesn't have to be teh same across the board. on the east side and in other college areas (parts of elmhurst), require that the car be registered in providence before you can get a permit. philly does that for certain neighborhoods. a lot of the houses on the east side have lots/driveways, same goes for elmhurst (and by elmhurst, i'm talking about only the area surrounded by douglas ave to the east, smith to the south, eaton to the north, and river to the west. that's where most of the off-campus housing for PC students is. hell, you can even narrow it down to huxley instead of river. on-campus students at any college would not be allowed to get a permit. the other parts depend on the number of cars that park in actual driveways or paved lawns and how many cars people have. limit guest passes to 2 per household like somerville.

to the guy who mentioned cops/firetrucks flying down oakland or pembroke... both these streets are wide enough to park on both sides and fit at least 1 vehicle down the middle. i live in that area. the streets that would have an issue are the ones on the east side. but then here's my question... how do they do it during the day? it's actually easier at night because there's fewer cars on the road.

re: enforcement... it would have to happen regularly across the city, not just in areas where there happens to be more police presence. it's highly unfair that i am able to park on my street for a week straight (including overnight every night) and not get ticketed once, yet people in other neighborhoods will get ticketed every night. that's just ridiculous. i just happen to live in a neighborhood of mostly single family homes that are not rentals (my house is one of only a couple rentals on my street).

there should be no difference made between property owners and renters. when it comes to this, renters are residents of the city, at lesat those of us who use it as our permanent address (those who don't should absolutely not have the same rights).

in neighborhoods where there's more space available, don't require permits (such as is done in philly). i don't know how philly determined which neighborhoods/streets required permits (which require you to register your car in the city).

and of course keep the more commercial areas limited to 1-4 hour parking.

there would just have to be more regulations... i think the ban allows the city government to be lazy. just ban it, ticket everyone and then they don't have to make up regulations for street sweeping (which happens "once" a year, although i don't think it happened on my street at all) and snow removal. another thought is limiting parking to 1 side of the street overnight. and something that's importnat... "no parking here to corner" signs! why are these non-existent here (at least on my street where people park right in front of stop signs or only 1 car length from them)?