PARKING SIGNS MAKEOVER
Mayor Marty Walsh wants to save you from Boston’s confusing parking signs.
You know the ones. They say residential parking only. But maybe there’s a 30-minute parking limit between 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. And it’s a tow zone with no stopping between 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
“We have way too many signs — in some cases they look like blighted streets,” said Mayor Walsh. “We’re doing an assessment on all our signs and where they are in the city of Boston.”
The $500,000 program, tucked into Boston’s FY 2016 budget, comes as Walsh faces a re-election battle against City Councilor Tito Jackson. The sign project isn’t expected to be completed citywide until 2019.
City officials say the cost is worth it to clear up the head-scratching parking regulations.
“We want to demystify the parking experience and make the signs clear and accurate, so when you pull up you know exactly what the regulation is and it answers the question, ‘Can I park here or not?’ ” said Chris Osgood, Boston’s transportation chief.
Officials started the Boston Parking Atlas and Rules Census (BRAC) in the cramped, tourist-heavy North End, going block by block to create a digital database of all the parking regulations. By the end of the year, the information will be available to the public using navigation apps like Waze and potentially digital signs that will change to show real-time restrictions.
The city has teamed up with David Steigerwald, founder of StreetParkd, a Boston-based technology company, to create the digital database which even computer Luddites can access.
“We have people who don’t have navigation systems, who don’t have phones or apps, so we’re going to create digital signage,” said Steigerwald, who said the city hopes to unveil the signs in the North End by the end of the summer.
Clearing up parking chaos isn’t the only purpose of the database; it will also be vital as the self-driving car business heats up, with Lyft recently announcing it will incorporate self-driving car pickups in Boston.
“The program will provide the data necessary to inform vehicles of where they can and can’t pull over for pickup or drop-offs,” said Tracey Ganiatsos, Boston’s Transportation Department spokeswoman.
The database could even win over surly bicyclists, who slammed Mayor Walsh last month when he suggested pedestrians and those on bikes should keep their eye on the road. The new signage paves the way for flexible lanes throughout the city that can become bus or bike lanes for part of the day depending on traffic demands.
The digital signage follows similar signs on state highways that alert drivers to traffic or impending snowstorms.
I just have one request if parking notifications go digital, Mr. Mayor. Spare us the inevitable “No Space Savahs” sign.