July 28, 2005

     After years of discussion, a Resident Parking Program (RPP) is at hand.  Signs have been going up since July 19 on the east side of South Boston, in the area bounded by L Street and Farragut Road. 
      Enforcement will begin on Monday, August 8.  The rest of South Boston will be posted and enforced soon after those dates.

     Public opinion has swung from just 50-50 acceptance of resident parking in the 1990s to 90% acceptance currently.  The RPP has been discussed at some 20 meetings during the last four years.  It has been featured in a number of media articles and broadcasts. 

     In our opinion, here at South Boston Online, the RPP is long overdue.  From what we have seen, South Boston’s RPP has been well thought out.  We recommend that our readers support it.  Give it a try.

At recent meetings, several individuals raised questions and objections.  Some claimed they didn’t know that an RPP was coming.  How anyone could have missed it is beyond us, but even so, majority support for the RPP was evident.  All of the issues raised – rental cars, visiting nurses, care giving calls, Broadway shopping, social events, and so on – were answered in some fashion.

     We suggest that all car owners in South Boston look at the plusses in a well-planned RRP.  Then, give it a try.

     First, of the 16 major neighborhoods in the City of Boston, only South Boston and West Roxbury don’t have an RPP.  Those neighborhoods that have an RPP are satisfied with it.  They are glad an RPP is in place.

     Second, South Boston has a lot of parking slots – over 25,000 for a total population of 29,000 residents (these are actual census figures).  Of course, a parking slot may not be where you want it when you want it, but it’s out there for you somewhere.  Unlike most parts of the City, in South Boston you can almost always park legally for free.  The glass here isn’t part empty – it’s more than half full.

     Third, the RPP is simple.  Just get a resident parking sticker by bringing your registration AND another proof of residence to Room 224 in City Hall before August 8.  Then remember that the RPP will be enforced from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m., Monday through Friday.  That’s it!

     Fourth, the RPP is aimed at lawbreakers and those that abuse South Boston parking, not at residents.  The primary reason for the RPP is to eliminate commuters who use our streets to avoid downtown parking lot fees.  It will also stop those who park here for weeks at a time while they are traveling out of Logan Airport, and those who register their cars elsewhere (even out of state).

     Fifth, the RPP will be “on-trial” until yearend.  RPP problems will then be fixed and changes made at that time.  Tickets can be contested, if you think they are undeserved.  We’ll bet that other problems, such as the abuse of handicapped parking, will also clear up.  In the mean time, give it a try.

     In fact, we think that the RPP will make parking easier, not harder, for residents who have their cars legitimately registered in South Boston.  It’s bound to free up a lot of spaces occupied by car owners from somewhere else, who are taking advantage of our streets in South Boston.

     So work with the RPP.  Let’s make it ours.  Give it a try. 

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