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Parking issues in Boston

  1. #1

    Parking issues in Boston

    Hello,

    New here, but long time rider. Recently, myself and many others in the city have been ticketed for parking our motorcycles at an angle to the curb. I'm sure everyone here knows how much less space bikes take up when parked at an angle, rear tire against the curb, side by side. Now the parking department wants us to park like cars, parallel to the curb, no more than 12" away, and no doubling up. Obviously, this takes up much more space and makes even pulling out more difficult, as know we get sandwiched in by cars and have to do a ~9 point turn to pull out. In my neighborhood alone, we went from several bikes taking up a couple spots to essentially taking an entire side of the road. There's less room for residents and the local businesses customers because of how we're forced to park. I'm appealing to the parking department, the mayor and the Boston police. I started a petition...which I know will probably be a lost cause, but I figure why not. Honestly, it's ridiculous that I even have to do this. I've parked my bike in Boston my entire life and have never had to deal with this before. If you have experienced this, or would to support/share the petition, it would be greatly appreciated.

    -Thank you for reading, ride safe.

    Petition * Mayor Marty Walsh: Allowing motorcycles to park at an angle in Boston * Change.org

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  2. #2
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    Re: Parking issues in Boston

    I am parking at an angle(perpendicular to the curb) from 1month and I see another 30bikes parked alongside mine daily. None of us got a parking ticket for this reason. Are you sure the ticket u received is becoz of parking correctly? Most of us got ticketed for parking near the hydrants(next to motorcycle street parking spots) though..


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  3. #3

    Re: Parking issues in Boston

    Yep, 100% accurate. The ticket is code 23, 'other'. In the notes on the ticket, it says "Street parking is parallel parking only. Angle parking is prohibited." I called the parking division, because I was shocked, and they confirmed it. The person I talked to said this city was starting to get aggressive with issuing tickets and to not park at an angle until this issue can be resolved. There are ~10 of us who have received multiple tickets over the past couple weeks. Maybe they're being selective, or maybe they haven't got that way yet, but I think it's a unsettling change. As I said, I've been living and riding here for several decades and have never seen, nor heard of this before.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Parking issues in Boston-ticket-jpg  

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  4. #4
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    Re: Parking issues in Boston

    I haven’t seen this yet and may be I will face it in near future.. I will sign the petition and will forward to riders whom I know. Appreciate your effort in starting a petition and trying to bring change.


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  5. #5

    Re: Parking issues in Boston

    Thank you so much! I'm just hoping that this doesn't become the new norm and this is merely a rouge employee that maybe doesn't like motorcycles. Since there are cars parked here illegally all the time and yet only the bikes have been getting tickets.

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  6. #6
    Lifer Garandman's Avatar
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    Re: Parking issues in Boston

    Call, and have your neighbors call, your City Councillor. Every time.

    I used to have to park on Beacon Street, where they'd ticket for this even if you fed the meter. Car drivers would get pissed. Would up putting a sign on the bike stating the policy, and BTD's number.

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  7. #7
    Lifer Garandman's Avatar
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    Re: Parking issues in Boston

    FWIW, as a Boston resident, every parking ticket we contested was dropped.

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  8. #8

    Re: Parking issues in Boston

    Thanks for the advice, I contacted just about everyone, but forgot the Councillors. It may get dropped, but I don't want to have to get into a weekly battle with the person writing the tickets and have to go through this all season. I'm 'hoping' for a permanent fix. Thanks again!

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  9. #9
    Member Tom M's Avatar
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    Re: Parking issues in Boston

    Marty Walsh takes questions from residents every week on the Boston Public Radio's "Ask The Mayor" show on 89.7 FM WGBH. You might want to call in and ask him why his parking enforcers are contributing to the lack of parking spaces in Boston by preventing motorcycles from sharing parking spaces.

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  10. #10

    Re: Parking issues in Boston

    Quote Originally Posted by Tom M View Post
    Marty Walsh takes questions from residents every week on the Boston Public Radio's "Ask The Mayor" show on 89.7 FM WGBH. You might want to call in and ask him why his parking enforcers are contributing to the lack of parking spaces in Boston by preventing motorcycles from sharing parking spaces.
    That's a great idea, thank you

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  11. #11
    Lifer Garandman's Avatar
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    Re: Parking issues in Boston

    Quote Originally Posted by braticus View Post
    Thanks for the advice, I contacted just about everyone, but forgot the Councillors. It may get dropped, but I don't want to have to get into a weekly battle with the person writing the tickets and have to go through this all season. I'm 'hoping' for a permanent fix. Thanks again!
    I'm always nice to the ticket writers. It is a job of last resort for many people. A little kindness goes a looong way.

    Do you have a resident parking sticker on your bike? They exist, and in my experience, if they can avoid ticketing you, they will.

    Parked like this for five years (but it seemed longer). Never got a ticket once I got the resident sticker.

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  12. #12
    Senior Member ducatirdr's Avatar
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    Re: Parking issues in Boston

    Should probably start a thread with safe places to park a bike for free and not get a ticket. I'll volunteer Childrens Hospital Patient parking garage. Slide past the gate and go up and find the corners for free bike parking. I've never been bothered by the staff. Plenty of spots as you move up if the first sections are full. I don't work at Harvard Med any longer so you can use my free spot. Now I'm over in the Kendall-Tech Square area in Cambridge. We were parking on some bicycle spots but they started ticketing last week.

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  13. #13

    Re: Parking issues in Boston

    Quote Originally Posted by Garandman View Post
    I'm always nice to the ticket writers. It is a job of last resort for many people. A little kindness goes a looong way.

    Do you have a resident parking sticker on your bike? They exist, and in my experience, if they can avoid ticketing you, they will.

    Parked like this for five years (but it seemed longer). Never got a ticket once I got the resident sticker.
    Never met the person. They usually come through early afternoon when most people are working. There are several cars that have been sitting for days, if not weeks, illegally parked on crosswalks, on top of hydrants, partially blocking driveways...no tickets, only the bikes have been getting them for the past 3-4 weeks. Yep, I have a resident sticker. Also, I'm nice to everyone, I rarely butt heads with anyone in life. I'm one of those city weirdos that smiles and says hi to people, and usually get shocked or confused looks in return. Born and raised in Boston, and you wouldn't know it, if it wasn't for my accent,

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  14. #14
    Lifer Garandman's Avatar
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    Re: Parking issues in Boston

    Quote Originally Posted by ducatirdr View Post
    Should probably start a thread with safe places to park a bike for free and not get a ticket. I'll volunteer Childrens Hospital Patient parking garage. Slide past the gate and go up and find the corners for free bike parking. I've never been bothered by the staff. Plenty of spots as you move up if the first sections are full. I don't work at Harvard Med any longer so you can use my free spot. Now I'm over in the Kendall-Tech Square area in Cambridge. We were parking on some bicycle spots but they started ticketing last week.
    Here's what usually happens.

    Riders find an area where enforcement is lax.
    It gets posted.
    More and more riders use it.
    Locals complain.
    BTD starts ticketing.

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  15. #15
    Nat Pixon! noxin's Avatar
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    Re: Parking issues in Boston

    So, technically, it is against City Ordinance to park perpendicular to the curb. You are required to park parallel to the curb.

    You want it changed, talk to your elected officials and have them change the ordinance. Marty Walsh doesn't give a shit about your petition because it's revenue generation.

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  16. #16
    Lifer Jayspeed's Avatar
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    Re: Parking issues in Boston

    I haven't read this entire thread so sorry if this was covered. The whole parallel parking of a motorcycle prevents more than 1 bike to take up a meter spot. So lets say 3 bikes can share a meter and split the fee. I don't know if that is the reasoning but the way traffic is in Boston, fuck let the bikes take up the least amount of space because there is already serious parking issues in the city.

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  17. #17
    Lifer Garandman's Avatar
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    Re: Parking issues in Boston

    The city did add a small number of motorcycle only spots.

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  18. #18
    Backwoods lobster boy number9's Avatar
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    Re: Parking issues in Boston

    Quote Originally Posted by Garandman View Post
    FWIW, as a Boston resident, every parking ticket we contested was dropped.
    I recently contested a ticket where I was clearly in the wrong. Showed receipts for a few hundred times I'd parked with the ParkBoston app, begged for forgiveness, and got it.

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