To the editor:
I find it rather remarkable that the town of Great Barrington thinks it’s necessary to hire a consultant to design a residential parking permit system. Right now our zoning bylaws permit downtown landlords to rent living spaces without providing overnight parking. And somehow the town thinks it makes sense to make life even more difficult for people living in these apartments by preventing them from finding overnight parking during the winter months. Here’s a simple solution: There are a limited number of people living in this ridiculous catch-22 situation. There are parking lots on Castle and upper Railroad streets—issue a simple sticker for residents upon proof of downtown residence. There are numerous cities and towns with simple systems. In Boston, many of the residential streets are now “Resident Parking Only.” So “if you live in one of these neighborhoods, you need a permit to avoid getting a ticket … You need to place the permit sticker in the rear window of your car on the passenger side … There is no charge for Resident Parking permits.”
I have no idea why increased construction should prevent the town from doing something it should have done a long time ago. Make sure those people who keep downtown alive and vibrant aren’t penalized. We can park at the top of Castle and Railroad and the plows can plow.
Mickey Friedman
Great Barrington
