Roslindale shocker: City proposes parking meters in the Square

The Boston Transportation Department has proposed installing parking meters along the streets of Roslindale Square as a way to help remove the area's current parking lampreys, who suck up spaces for hours at a time as they commute downtown or wherever, making it harder for people who want to actually visit the square's stores and restaurants to find a space.

Based on a study and survey it conducted in 2021, the department concluded that "drivers are parking their vehicles for seven hours or longer" sucking life out of the square, even as spaces in parking lots, including the municipal one on Taft Hill Road off South Street, go empty.

Parking meters, the department says, are the answer:

Parking meters are a parking management tool that encourages parking turnover and discourages long-term parking. Enforcement of a parking meter is more efficient than non-metered time restriction parking and results in better compliance. This increases turnover, increases available parking spaces, and allows more drivers to use those spaces to access their destination.

The department's initial proposal calls for meters that would limit parkers to just an hour along Washington, South and Corinth streets and Belgrade Avenue right in the square, with four-hour meters on stretches just outside the square, including along Washington and Poplar streets south of the square, Robert Street and Belgrade Avenue past Robert.

Poplar Street along Adams Park would retain its current bus stop and get a new 15-minute pickup zone; other streets would also get 15-minute pickup zones.

The Taft Hill municipal parking lot would go from its current two-hour maximum parking to four - but without meters:

The intent is to attract drivers that will be parking for longer durations to the municipal parking lot rather than have them occupy on-street parking spaces. This will reduce the number of vehicles circling the block looking for on-street parking, resulting in a reduced volume of vehicles, reduced congestion, and safer streets for all road users.

The plan does not say anything about the two parking lots at the commuter-rail station, which require payment during the week and which often have empty spaces, but which are free to visitors to the weekly Saturday farmers' market in Adams Park.

The department continues that as Roslindale Square has become more of a destination over the years, it's also time to extend parking restrictions from weekdays to Saturday, again with the goal of increasing the number of people who can park by reducing the number of space hogs.

Streets in the ‘commercial core’ including Corinth Street, Belgrade Avenue, South Street, and portions of Washington Street were at or above 100% occupancy for most of the day, making it challenging to find parking in areas with the greatest demand.

The department is accepting comments until Friday. It will then issue a revised proposal based on that feedback.