Watertown Chief of Police Michael P. Lawn has announced the 2017-2018 Winter
Parking Ban dates.
Effective November 27, 2017 and continuing to April 1, 2018 the Winter Parking Ban will be in effect and strictly enforced. The regulation reads in part; “No vehicle may remain on any public way for more than one hour between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. all days of the week.”
For residents who lack sufficient off-street parking, the Town allows for temporary
parking at any municipal parking lot and other locations noted:
• The police station at 552 Main Street (visitor’s parking lot only)
• Any public school parking lot
• Marion Road parking lot at Victory Field
• O’Connell Park, (lot at the corner of Boylston Street and Mt Auburn Street)
Please note that these locations may be used free of charge, however vehicles may only use available spaces after 7 p.m. and must be moved/removed by 7 a.m. the following day.
Vehicles must be removed from school property no later than 6 a.m. Violators may be towed.
Please remember that parking your vehicle upon any sidewalk is prohibited. Your
cooperation in keeping the streets clear of overnight parking and your sidewalks clear of snow and ice will make for safer driving and walking conditions and at the same time, allow the opportunity for the Public Works Department to perform necessary street cleaning and maintenance.
Thank you,
Michael P. Lawn
Chief of Police
With Winter fast approaching and the elections over perhaps now could be the time to start a discussion town wide on issues that diminish the quality of life throughout Watertown.
Watertown has gotten incredibly dense and overcrowded and as a result the streets are loaded up with more parked cars. It has gotten noticeably worse through the 15 years that my family and I have lived here and there seems to be no end in sight. There are many factors that have contributed to this and of course the over development in town has certainly been a factor. Another factor is the amount of properties in town with far too many people living in them. Whether it is too many people in one small space or illegal apartments (which there seems to be many), these are the situations that should be looked at and not allowed in town. These overcrowded apartments mean more noise, more trash, increase chance of rodents,more cars and they impact all their neighbors. It isn’t just areas with predominately multifamily homes either, this situation is happening throughout town. Ask your friends in town and they will most likely be able to identify numerous properties in their own neighborhood that fit this description. In a recent discussion with friends in town I heard about an area where one rental property houses close to 16 adults, most with cars, leaving cars all over the street. The property sits on a lot less than 6000 square feet with parking for 4 cars so the extra cars get parked in front of several of the neighboring properties. Another friend mentioned, living in an area with only single family homes, complained about a neighbor with 8 cars and not one being parked in the driveway, but instead being left in front of other neighboring properties. That just seems so disrespectful and thoughtless.
Hopefully,with the parking ban soon approaching, the police will be actively ticketing cars for the overnight parking AND ticketing any cars using their front laws, sidewalks, etc as their parking.
I am hoping our Town Council will read this and think about ways to improve this situation. It might make sense for our town to consider an overnight parking ban all year round. This could certainly help in reducing some of the overcrowded apartments and illegal ones. Our very loose parking laws make it very easy for overcrowding and illegal apartments. Belmont does not allow overnight parking and it does not hurt the property owners. It is difficult to live in a place this crowded but some of these issues can and should be addressed.
On the other hand, I would recommend there is no need for a parking ban except for during an announced snow emergency. If it’s ok in the summer, why shouldn’t it be ok in the winter?
I’m not sure what the previous poster is talking about regarding overcrowded buildings. In my two-family home, we have 4 adults, each who need a car for work or family business like child care and shopping. There is not enough room in the driveway, so street parking makes things more reasonable for us.
I hope these comments about illegal overcrowded apartments are not some kind of dog whistle. If there is a problem with illegal apartments and too many cars registered to individuals, I’m sure the town could find a way to police it without resorting to the blunt tool of overnight parking bans.
I’ve never, ever, had trouble finding a parking space in Watertown, and I’d hate to see unnecessary over-regulation turn it into a place like Somerville with permit parking everywhere.
Parking ban is dumb. One side parking should be allowed at least. I dont know what h20 mom above is going on about rat infestations due to more inhabitors of the town, but as a student living with 3 others LEGALLY we only have two parking spots for all 4 of our cars. Having to get up at 7 every singe day to move my car from victory field is ridiculous. I wouldnt mind the walk on a summer morning but its getting freezing out. I also worry about walking back to my place in the darkness after parking my car at the field. One side parking should suffice.