Committee approves and holds a mix of handicap spaces, resident permits and short-term parking changes

The Traffic and Parking Committee on Oct. 15 processed dozens of petitions for handicap parking spaces, resident-permit zones and short-term commercial loading areas, approving some, holding others for re-advertising or site study, and filing a few where petitioners did not appear or the department recommended against action.

Key outcomes: the committee approved multiple handicap spaces and small short-term commercial loading adjustments; it held several requests for re-advertising or engineering review (particularly where winter parking bans or right-of-way widths created conflicts); and it filed petitions where the petitioner did not respond or where staff recommended no action.

Approvals and filings included: - Approved installation of a handicap parking space across from 171 Washington Street (Item 3C) after staff confirmed a valid Massachusetts placard and a two-family tandem driveway. - Approved removal of handicap signage in front of 45 Ledge Cross Drive (Item 3M). - Approved a “No Parking Anytime” sign at a narrow corner after staff noted state/local rules already prohibit parking within 20 feet of an intersection (Item 5A). - Approved a handicap space in front of 56 Cohasset Street (Item 3K), after no opposition was raised at the hearing. - Approved installation of a residential-permit zone on the odd side of Lodi Street (Item 7B) to address spillover from the nearby ballpark and development. - Approved a 15-minute pick-up zone for food pickup in front of 85 Green Street (Item 6B).

Holds and re-advertisements included several petitions where staff recommended further work: - The committee held a resident request for permit parking on Washington Street (Item 7C) so Transportation and Mobility could map and refine the requested block limits. - The committee held several handicap-space petitions because the proposed locations fell within permanent winter-parking bans; staff advised petitioners that either a different curb location or an amendment to the winter-ban ordinance would be required (notable examples: 58 Providence Street, Item 3L; 194 Hamilton Street, Item 3A). - The committee held petitions where the street geometry or right-of-way was too narrow to allow on-street parking (notably 2 Blodgett, Item 3T); staff agreed to field-measure the end of the street to check for a possible compliant location. - For multiple items where petitioners did not appear or where petitioners provided no valid Massachusetts placard, the committee filed the matter with instructions on how petitioners may refile with required documentation (e.g., Item 3A).

The committee also directed staff to prepare follow-up actions: - A chairman’s order will ask the administration to consider converting permanent winter parking bans to declared bans where appropriate and to address missing signage where an ordained handicapped space lacked posted signage (several items referenced this issue). - The committee asked Transportation & Mobility to re-inspect specific narrow streets and to re-advertise some petitions with clarified limits. - For one contested petition (Item 3N, 53 Raymond Street) the committee requested a report on applicable state law (Mass. Gen. Laws, ch. 90) regarding misuse of placards and to return with enforcement recommendations; the committee also held that petition pending further review.

Several items were filed because petitioners did not attend at multiple hearings, or because disagreement over private driveway arrangements made a public on-street remedy inappropriate. Where the department identified a feasible alternate location (for example, a nearby block without a winter ban), staff recommended re-advertising at that alternative to preserve usable spaces for those with placards.

Committee chairs and transportation staff encouraged petitioners to work with the department between meetings to refine requests; petitioners will receive notice of future hearing dates for continued matters.