March
2007
Looking forward to Parking Meters
I never thought I would say such a thing, but living in the fabulous neighborhood of Roslindale, I have to say a few parking meters would improve the square tremendously. Today, as on most days, the municipal parking lot was almost empty while the square was packed with cars, some of them illegally parked in clearly marked No Parking areas and one car parked in a crosswalk. There is even rumors that the “lack of parking” that some people feel in Roslindale is directly related to the fact that business owners in the square park right outside their own businesses!
According to the minutes of the February 13th BRA Advisory Group meeting in Roslindale, the suggestion of parking meters was received favorably. I would welcome those meters with open arms. There is no lack of parking in Roslindale, but there may be a lack of turnover. If you can walk to the square, like I do, it’s the nicest way to visit this very pedestrian-friendly Village. Parking in the municipal lot behind the Roslindale Medical and Dental Center is the next best thing. For everyone else who wants to park in the square on South Street, Birch, Corinth, Belgrade or Poplar there should be meters.
The lot you mention always has plenty of space, but people seem to have trouble finding it, or acknowledging its existence. Meters would be fine by me.
Andrew, who has walked to the square several times this weekend.
Roslindale, To those proposing Parking Meters should think if they can.
Roslindale Village (aka Square) took over as the center for retail commerce as the automobile displaced walking and the street-car/trolley. The automobile also helped the extinction of the variety of ‘corner-stores’ that randomly dotted Roslindale streets away from the Village Centre prior to the 1970s.
Roslindale Village (aka Square) was a diversified microcosm business and jobs community:
It once included Roche Bros., Logens, IGA, First National Stores, and other food markets > Fish and other specially ethnic foods, many of these stores offered free delivery of items purchased.
Pharmacies, Bakeries, Fashion stores, Liquor stores, Coffee shops, Radio & TV repair, Barber & Beauty shops, Cinema, Hardware stores, Paint & Wallpaper, Department store, 5 & 10 /Woolworth’s, Plumbing shops, A mini (Adams) park, Attorneys, Real Estate, Insurance, Funeral Homes, Post office, Public gym, Assorted government offices, Health centre, Clothiers, Appliance shops, several Banks (although most fell to the depression of the 1990s), Cobblers-shoe repair, Tailor & Seamstress shops, Laundry & Dry Cleaning, Furniture stores, Pubs, Pet shops, Public library, Book stores, Social clubs, Sport clubs, Religious books & artifacts, Churches of several denominations, nearby Elementary & Middle schools both public & private, Physicians, Dentists, Electrical Shops, Service stations, Auto repairs, Autobody & painting, Auto parts, Land Surveyors, Engineers, Building-Road-Utility-and other Contractors, Machine shops, Light manufacturing, Power station, Electrical substation, and so on, …
One could find almost everything from everyday stuff to the odd and weird items in Roslindale.
Roslindale Village (along with the former neighborhood shops) was and is a place almost everyone can walk to and around.
Whence came the MALLS. i.e., Dedham Mall in the late 1960s, this and the increased use of automobiles began the gradual decline of Roslindale Village.
Another stab was the closing of Roslindale High School to open West Roxbury High School in the late 1970s.
The near death peg was the folly of the school forced bussing saga of the mid 1970s and mass exodus of younger families form Roslindale. The effects of bussing which are still felt today. This is invited the added ill of obesity affliction children caused by no longer walking to-from school or anywhere else; besides little free play, plenty of fast & junk foods, TV, Video games, Webbrowsing, Cellphones, and other stagnant activities.
Demographics of Roslindale and several immigrant groups particularly the Greeks, Lebanese, Italians of the mid 1960s to early 1980s along with the older generations that remained in Roslindale helped to keep Roslindale Village economically breathing and its heart beating although feebly.
Sadly many of the above listed establishments are no longer found in Roslindale (A part of the Massachusetts miracle).
Of late years with new immigrants and the discovery of Roslindale by young-urban-professionals as lent a slight boost to Roslindale Village. The reuse of the rail line for commuter trains.
The meager vigor in commercial and pedestrian activity in Roslindale should not and must not be quenched by ever more revenue famished public servants, i.e., property taxes, fees, fines, and other assorted vast revenues.
In the recent few years signs posting a two hour parking time limit have been erected around Roslindale Village. The two hour parking limit is ample control for those lazy enough to leave their cars in Roslindale Village streets to take a bus into Boston.
Business owners that use parking to load, unload or make deliveries is fine. Nevertheless, shop owners and their staff should be aware they will loose clients by leaving their vehicles in front of their shops all day; which will negatively affect business and cost the shop and jobs.
As a regular part of Roslindale Village ads, parking locations, bus routes, waking distances / time around village, and free delivery of items purchased is one of several good ways to attract and keep customers.
Also, to help reduce car use if items purchased is delivered a client should get a discount, say $10.00 +, by not driving into Roslindale Village.
For any business its already plenty expensive just to open, … insure it, stock it, and staff it in the hope of being viable. It is important to consider that parking meters help to make operating a business more costly, detract vendors from shops, make Roslindale Village less attractive, and keeps shoppers away.
Please keep Roslindale alive! Parking meters are not going to help Roslindale and therefore should not now or in future be considered.
Please contact Jeff Gilbride the reporter for the Roslindale Bulletin concerning this matter
Behold the awesome power of this blog: Rachele complains about parking in the Square and now the police are conducting a parking smackdown of people who stay in spaces longer than two hours.
[…] March entry on parking meters in Roslindale set off an intense discussion of what to do about people staying […]
parking in roslindale is becomming a nightmare to patients of roslindale medical as well as the staff who take care of them. i think that roslindale really needs to come up with a way for roslindale medical employees to park and do their jobs daily instead of worrying about tickets.
there needs to be a way for this to happen