Speaking with some of the business owners in the neighborhood, you’ll find that many of them have a problem that so far, has no solution: Where to park if they don’t actually live here.
Resident Parking, some like it, some don’t. But in some cases, it can be a problem for business owners, many of whom may not be South Boston residents but have been with us for years and have generously supported our community. The resident parking rules as they stand now have been detrimental to some of them. For example, local business owners, especially along Broadway, who have been here for decades or longer constantly get ticketed and fined for not having a resident sticker on their vehicles. These are folks who own stores and shops, pay taxes to the city but still get penalized, sometimes daily, for not having that sticker on their window.
Perhaps City Hall could look into the possibility of coming up with parking waivers in the form of a placard for our loyal local merchants, even if it’s just for the hours that they are open for business. Realistically, local shop owners could, if they wanted to, open their stores in other towns, but instead, choose to bring their business here, often providing jobs to residents.
Allowing our local businesses to at least park here, while they’re working (if they can find a spot) without getting that bright orange surprise under their wiper blade, could be not only a nice but a commitment to encouraging neighborhood business success.
