METER PLAN PETERS OUT
Surge pricing fails to cut congestion
Boston drivers could get relief from sky-high parking meter fees in Hub hot spots like Newbury Street or the Seaport District by the end of the year after Mayor Martin J. Walsh found the peak pricing strategy failed to cut congestion.
“If it doesn’t make a significant improvement in cutting back traffic, I don’t see any reason for surge pricing,” said Walsh, who implemented the yearlong pilot program in January in an effort to reduce gridlock and encourage the use of public transportation.
“The first information I got back on the pilot didn’t necessarily show that it was doing what we thought it would do,” said Walsh, adding he will make a final decision at the end of the year.
The program jacked up meter fees at more than 2,200 parking spaces in the Seaport as well as the Back Bay, from $1 to up to $3.75 currently.
“We did it for two reasons, one was to cut down on congestion on the roads and two was to open up spaces on Newbury Street,” said Walsh, adding that while it’s opened up some parking spaces, “I don’t know if it’s necessarily cut down on congestion.”
The pilot program is part of a larger study examining the future of parking in Boston and how parking policies can increase business access and ensure access to parking spaces. Surge pricing has been adopted in other cities like New York and San Francisco, which adjust meter rates depending on peak use times, to up to $8 an hour.
Parking rates in the Back Bay, which is bordered by Beacon Street, Arlington Street, Stuart Street and Charlesgate, have remained at $3.75 an hour for all meter hours. The Seaport parking meter charges have fluctuated between $1 and $3 per hour.
Retailers, residents and even some pols have blasted the controversial plan.
“It’s nickel and diming people; it’s punitive and I think it’s being petty,” said City Councilor at-Large Michael E. Flaherty, who added that the high meter fees are unlikely to motivate drivers to take public transportation.
“There are lots of people that are car dependent, working families that need to drive into the city, and we shouldn’t be penalizing them because of peak hours,” said Flaherty.
Walsh, who is facing his first re-election campaign as mayor, said he also fielded complaints from residents about the hiked meter charges.
“A lot of residents come home at 4; they’ll park their car there, and the surge pricing is making them pay eight bucks instead of two,” said Walsh.
But those who depend on street parking shouldn’t rest easy. Walsh indicated he may increase parking ticket fines. Parking officials currently charge $25 for an unpaid meter.
“I think we should look at maybe potentially down the road what people are paying for tickets,” he said.