Terry Cowgill
Great Barrington — It seems like people can never get enough when it comes to the subject of parking in downtown Great Barrington–either there’s not enough, or there’s too much regulation, or annoyed residents complain of getting their cars towed.
Monday night, in response to concerns, the Great Barrington Selectboard revised the town’s policy on overnight parking. For as long as most people can remember, the town had a prohibition against overnight on-street parking from November 15 to April 1 from 1 to 6 a.m. More than a year ago, that policy was changed to a ban on overnight parking only during snow emergencies.
That latter change has resulted in a variety of uncertainties, from difficulty in communicating the emergency to the need to tow cars that were parked defiantly in the way of the town snowplows that needed to clear the streets during overnight hours.
“The problem is it’s very difficult to write a policy that says you don’t ticket unless it’s snowing,” Selectboard Chairman Sean Stanton.
On the recommendation of Town Manager Jennifer Tabakin, the board this week voted unanimously to change the policy again. After hearing from police Chief Bill Walsh, Department of Public Works superintendent Sean VanDeusen and several residents, the board changed the policy to the way it was before – sort of.
See video below of the discussion of the overnight parking issue:
Effective immediately, from Nov. 15 through March 30, overnight on-street parking is prohibited between the hours of 1 and 6 a.m. Violators will be ticketed. Vehicles that block DPW snow plows will be towed at the owner’s expense. Other parking regulations, however, including daytime rules, remain unchanged.
“We feel this is clear and consistent with what was done in the past, and it meets the needs of people living downtown,” Tabakin said.
Great Barrington Selectboard candidate Holly Hamer suggests a permitting parking system for downtown residents. Photo: Terry Cowgill
“It needs to be crystal clear,” said Stanton, a former Railroad Street resident. “We need a map that shows lots and regs, and signage in lots. We want to encourage people to live downtown.”
Consequently, the new law also states that, on Nov. 1 and at times throughout the two-weeks prior to the start of the overnight parking ban, the Great Barrington Police Department will issue warning notifications to inform all those who park of the upcoming start of the prohibition. In addition, signs will be installed on parking lots where overnight parking is allowed.
And former town library trustee and current selectboard candidate Holly Hamer noted that, in the town lots on the west side on Main Street (e.g. top of Railroad Street) that have unlimited parking, some people abuse the privilege. She suggested a permit system.
“Lots of people park there all winter or people not from Great Barrington park there all weekend to take the bus into New York,” Hamer said. If overnight parking were by permit, she added, “I think you’d see a lot of those spaces clear up.”
“It’s probably a good point to limit that somehow,” agreed Selectman Bill Cooke. “It has been abused by a small number of people.”
Great Barrington Department of Public Works Superintendent Sean VanDeusen explains the need for the overnight parking ban. Photo: Terry Cowgill
So at the urging of the board, Tabakin agreed to examine “the feasibility of issuing residents parking stickers and establish a rule that parking in parking lots will be restricted to a maximum of 24 hours,” she clarified later.
Some residents have questioned why an on-street parking ban needs to be in effect at all. VanDeusen was ready with an answer.
“When a snowstorm is over, we need to get back in and clean those stalls out of snow on both sides of the road because, if we don’t and the cars are parked there, they’ll freeze and the person parking there the next day will be getting out on ice,” VanDeusen.
Of course, that could create a hazardous situation that could expose the town to a lawsuit.
“We certainly don’t want to have that situation with people getting out of their cars in the morning to shop and they slip and fall,” Tabakin said. “So it’s an important concern.”
For visitors or even locals who are baffled when confronted with the urgency of where to put their vehicles, the town government has published a nifty parking guide on its website. It’s got a map with a legend and a guide explaining the ins and outs of downtown and reassuring would-be patrons that “nothing is more than a 5-minute walk.”
The town of Great Barrington published a handy map showing the availability of parking, along with restrictions.
There was some general grumbling about the months and weeks the new on-street parking ban will be in effect: Nov. 15 through March 30. What if, someone in the audience wondered, we had another freak October 4 winter storm, as happened in 1986, when the Berkshires were buried in some 12 inches of snow? The response was that it would not be a problem and that, in any event, it would be extremely unlikely to happen again.
Tabakin and Walsh said, during the January 4 and 5 snowstorm that prompted the towing of several cars, officers on the midnight shift actually tried to track down the owners to alert them so as to prevent the towing. Between 11 and 15 vehicles were on the streets that night. Some, such as the Toyota Avalon of Dr. Benjamin Abelow, were later towed. Other owners were found and were able to move their vehicles.
Police Chief Bill Walsh says his officers do what they can to locate vehicle owners before calling the town truck. Photo: Terry Cowgill
The vehicles that were in violation could easily fit into one of the town lots that allow overnight parking, Tabakin said. A vehicle that violates other parking regulations will be fined $20. But Walsh said there should be no need for that.
“We’ve always put out warning notices two to three weeks prior to the start date,” Walsh said. “We slap them on windshields.”
“I don’t like the idea of police knocking on my door on a regular basis,” Abelow said, though added that he appreciated their concern.
Dr. Abelow, a Main Street resident, read a statement to the board last month detailing his travails. Click here to read it and the invoice for almost $150 he received from Steve’s Auto Repair on State Road.
“Why did it take five days for the [Department of Public Works] to clear the sides of Church Street?” Abelow asked the board on January 22. “Citizens have the right to expect that, if plowing has not been done within a couple of days, they may again park in the street.”
See video below of Dr. Benjamin Abelow appealing to the selectboard Jan. 22, 2018, to reimburse him for towing charges:
Abelow this week revisited the idea that the town reimburse him for towing charges he incurred when his car was found to be blocking the town plows. But the board, while sympathetic to his plight, would have none of it since it would set a precedent.
The board directed Walsh to begin warning parked motorists of the new regulations in the next few days.
I live downtown in an apartment on Castle Street. I feel like I’m back in New York City with alternate side of the street parking. There are thirteen apartments in my building and ten apartment dwellers have cars. Members of The Selectboard and I imagine almost all of you have a parking space close to their/your front door. Thanks to our Zoning Bylaws landlords in the Downtown District DO NOT HAVE TO PROVIDE PARKING for their tenants. A very simple downtown parking permit system would enable me – and elderly and handicapped tenants – to park near our apartments without having to walk a block and a half with grocery bags. Allow us to park by our apartments without getting parking tickets. The Town wants to believe it encourages downtown living but until Great Barrington does what so many other towns have done – create a free simple permit for legitimate downtown residents – they will continue to create an unfair obstacle for those of us who love living downtown. By the way, I am one of those who park on Upper Railroad because it is the one place reasonably close where I can park for an extended period of time without having to once again move my car or get a ticket. If the Town limits parking there you will just make it even more difficult to live downtown.
Thank you Mickey. Well said. I live AND work downtown.
The “parking anytime” areas are hilarious because we all know you can never find parking in those areas. Has a local EVER been able to park around the Triplex? Give me a break. I have my secret spot, I don’t tell anyone and I’ll continue to park there. Here’s a hint: its not a parking anytime spot either.
Simple solution: A storm-related ban would be in effect from the time set forth in the announcement of an expected weather or other event UNTIL the parking ban is lifted via the various means, e.g. Code Red platform, of communications used by the Town. Why should very few folks who do not head warnings create an ongoing hardship on most days for the majority that do follow instructions?
As I have said before ……the old firehouse should have been leveled ! Some sort of public/private partnership should have been formed and there should have been one of these Japanese style parking garages built. See youtube video below !
I’m local …. I don’t venture into downtown GB anymore…..it’s not mine anymore !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp_EIv33xrI
If you are going to live somewhere where this no designated parking you’re going to suffer the consequences of finding a spot. Where are the people going to park when the Railroad St apartments are finally finished. I think at one time they were going to be allowed to park in the Triplex lot, or is it the “anytime parking” at the top of Railroad Street. Parking in this town is a joke. I know of one person who parks in the bank parking lot for half a day near the front door and hangs out at one of the “free wi-fi” coffee shops on Main St. The signs posted state Parking for bank customers only, yet he totally ignores it.
There’s no such thing as free parking. I have a parking spot at my house. I pay to pave it. I shovel it in the winter or pay someone else to. I pay taxes on the land. Why do those if you living in apartments expect the taxpayers to provide you with free parking?
A “public/private partnership” to develop a parking structure? Those cost $40,000 or so per spot.mmwho is going to build that formyou.
If your apartment doesn’t come with parking, pay for parking like the rest of us. Find someone willing to rent you a parking space.
Most of the downtown apartment dwellers pay relatively high rents and their landlord pays town taxes. Both of these things contribute to the economic vitality of the town. When you drive your vehicle into GB, Helen, and park it, you do not have to feed a parking meter or pay for a parking spot or parking pass-downtown parking is ‘free’ to you and me. As towns and small cities grow they face the challenge of apportioning limited parking in a way that is fair to curbside residents, to visitors and residents in general. Suggesting that one class of resident (who already struggle under the burden of South County’s inappropriately high rents) should shoulder the cost of finding parking, while landlords earn profits, visitors and general residents of GB freely access the available parking, and downstream economic benefits and taxes accrue to the community as a whole, seems out of balance to me.
Dear Laura and Helen, I believe the article is about the over night parking ban. Which is what people are responding to. And nice laura that you feel the need to “rat someone out”. And maybe we should all go park in Helen’s nice paved driveway. And p.s. most lots will rent you a space for DURING THE DAY. No one is expecting FREE parking. Why not have a LITTLE empathy for others..
Hopefully this is a temporary parking solution by our Town. It can totally be improved by studying and copying what other Towns and Cities use for alternate side parking for maintenance, how to deter business owners from parking in front of their businesses, etc. But street side parking is simply a band aid in solving our downtown parking issues.
In our current Zoning Map there is a designated area to build a parking garage behind Wheeler & Taylor and the Berkshire College Building. It is called out as “Downtown Business Parking” (DBP) and was created in 1995, when Richard Stanley’s Triplex project and public parking lot were completed. With the Village Overlay District now NOT requiring any parking for new buildings or new uses, we have seen growth in downtown apartments and work/live units. It is imperative to get re-focused on a parking solution that all downtown uses can use, which is a municipal or private or combination parking structure.
For downtown residents they need drop-off spots on each block. Then they could park in this new DBP.
The ultimate parking solution is for new buildings to have built-in, underground parking. That is what is being provided at the future Power House Square rear condominium building (in the SE corner structure). I applaud this solution they are doing on their own.