Meter maids gave out 13,566 parking tickets from June to August 2011 in the North End, more than the 10,131 residents living here. Many, if not most, of the tickets were issued to the thousands of visitors that come to the historic neighborhood and eat at its well-known restaurants. The current run-rate for parking tickets in the North End / Waterfront is over 1,200 per month, according to an update by James Mansfield from the Boston Transportation Department.
City officials want residents to know they are actively enforcing the parking laws in the North End, with a focus on protecting resident parking spaces. That was the message this week in response to a request from Resident Parking and Traffic Committee of the North End / Waterfront Neighborhood Council, NEWNC. The report, shown in the video above, covers the North End’s approximately 0.27 square miles (see map).
Out of the total tickets issued this summer, 3512, or roughly 26%, were for resident parking violations. By month, there were 1029 resident parking tickets issued in June, 1251 in July and 1233 in August. These figures do not include tickets issued by Boston Police which can add a few hundred more parking violations per month but are usually not related to resident parking.
The number of North End street parking spaces and resident stickers were not disclosed. However, meeting participants estimated there are over 4,000 resident cars in the North End sharing approximately 1,200 residential parking spaces.
Watch the video for resident Q&A with BTD regarding various parking issues, including valets, feasts, TD Garden, expired resident stickers and a proposal to allow residents to park in visitor spaces. BTD also gave out a phone number, 617-635-3125, that residents can contact for a meter maid response to a parking violation.
parking tickets only help the city. parking tickets don't help the average north end residents who circles around for a parking space for an hour. if the city wants to really help with the problem, it needs to start towing cars. notice that that the city has no problem towing resident cars on street cleaning day. parking tickets are nothing but a racket.
I agree with ne rez completely! Either start towing visitors or up the fine to something like $100!! A $40 fine is barely a slap on the hand, especially since it's little more than paying for a lot. And people who come to the north end regularly know this and know that they'll probably only get ticketed once in three to four times they're there. Towing is the way to go! Especially during evening hours!
With the residents loosing 40 or spaces for a bike lane the city has to do something. Nothing makes me more mad than having to pay to park MY car. Its is brutal out there these days….I would love to see a meter maid on the weekends and actually ticket the NON residents. It is true that the people who visit the N End often now that they can park there and most likely not get a ticket. I'm all in favor of towing or increasing the parking ticket prices!