The
Traffic Board, which hears petitions by residents against the city's
Traffic Commission, heard comments from the public on August 13 on a
petition submitted by the Somerville Parking Advocacy and Reform
Coalition (SPARC).

The petition, signed by 87 registered
Somerville voters, asked for changes implemented by the Traffic
Commission in May to be rescinded – including a city-wide parking
permit mandate, increased meter hours and a 50 cents-per-hour rate
increase.

The new rules, announced after the Commission's May 21
meeting, sparked outrage among some residents and Board of Aldermen
members who said the city was forcing through the changes without
consulting residents or elected officials. The Traffic Commission and
the Traffic Board are unelected bodies.

The rules had been in a
constant state of flux since May, with the Board of Aldermen split on
whether they were justified given the $1.75 million in revenue
estimated to be brought through violations. Mayor Joseph Curtatone
established the Somerville Parking Solutions Task Force in response to
outcry over the lack of public input on the changes.

Since then,
several modifications have been made, including a list of main
thoroughfares to be kept as two-hour parking during the day. The
measure will be voted on at the Traffic Commission's meeting on August
20.

The new permit rule had been postponed from an August 1
enforcement date until October 1, which Acting Director of Traffic and
Parking James Kotzuba insisted would be thoroughly publicized.

Kotzuba also noted the meter rates would not change until a new kiosk system was implemented, most likely in January.

Ward
3 Alderman Tom Taylor had attempted to voice his opposition to
city-wide permit parking at the Traffic Commission's July 30 meeting,
but Chairman Stan Koty refused to give him the floor.

At the
August 13 hearing, Taylor briefly told the Board that the majority of
the calls he received on the issue were in favor of keeping the
neighborhood unregulated. About one third of Somerville remains permit
free, with much of the area falling within Ward 3 and Ward 2 around
Union Square.

"What I would really hope is you listen to all
these folks tonight," Alderman-at-Large Bill White told the Traffic
Board. "I want the folks here to be assured their voices are going to
be heard."

Ward 4 Alderman Walter Pero, who supported city-wide
permit parking since the issue was raised at a February Aldermen
meeting, stressed that while the changes came through a "flawed
process," they will help residents of his ward who face a constant
battle with commuters and prepare the whole city for the coming of the
MBTA Green line in 2014

"We're getting the public ready for three years from now," Pero told the Traffic Board.

Of
the roughly two dozen speakers, most were opposed to at least some of
the regulation changes. The meter hour increases, including special
regulations in Davis and Magoun squares that would keep them running
until 10 p.m., were universally panned.

Joe Grafton, executive
director of small-business advocacy group Somerville Local First, said
the meter hour changes would hurt businesses by scaring away customers
who would go to Cambridge and Boston instead.

"We must not
sabotage our long-term health for our short-term needs," Grafton said,
referring to the city's budget crisis which Curtatone has said
necessitated the changes. "Local independents of Somerville are
surviving one of the most challenging economies of our time. We do not
need a competitive disadvantage."

Others expressed frustration
at the difficulty in finding parking in their neighborhood, noting they
were pleased when their neighborhoods were converted to permit-only
parking – which is possible with a petition from 51 percent of a
street's residents.

"It's a joy to come home after work and park
on my street instead of the Stop and Shop parking lot," Garfield Avenue
resident Dan Adams said.

Among the arts community members
speaking against the changes was Dan Maher, who runs a stained glass
studio in Magoun Square. He said the studio would lose 75 percent of
its available parking if city-wide permit parking went into effect.
Others presented similar concerns, noting the changes would make it
difficult for non-resident artists and students to park near their
studios.

After brief consideration, the Traffic Board
unanimously rejected each section of the residents' petition, with
Commissioner Peter Miller noting that it wouldn't be necessary to
reject the rules given the changes being made to them.

Miller also stressed that the revision process being conducted by the mayor's Parking Task Force would continue.