Boston City Council To Hold Hearing On Parking Problem

BOSTON — Even with the MBTA, there are a number of reasons why a Boston resident might have a car, not least of which include the fact that public transportation doesn't get everywhere here. But, as more people move to the city, parking has become increasingly tricky for many neighborhoods. So, Boston city council voted Wednesday to hold a hearing to look at ways to figure out just what to do.

The proposal for a hearing comes a week after City Councilor Michelle Wu proposed Boston charge $25 for each parking pass for residents that sparked a robust conversation among city councilors. That conversation, said City Councilor Lydia Edwards, showed the city should take a holistic approach to parking and one that needed input from residents.

Currently, you only have to prove you live in Boston for a resident parking sticker.

>> Should Bostonians Pay $25 A Year For Resident Parking?

"We're handing out parking passes, we have a finite amount of land, but we... are giving an infinite amount of parking passes out for free," she said. "So we need to look at every single tool in the toolbox when it comes to parking right now. We do need parking reform in the City of Boston."

Edwards said fees, angled parking, charging for parking, how to raise revenue from people who don't live in Boston, parking task forces such as exist in East Boston, and enforcement should all be part of the conversation.

"It really needs to be a bigger conversation, than just about whether we should be fining or creating a fee for parking stickers" said At-Large Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George, adding that residents neighborhood by neighborhood as well as transportation board needed to be involved.

The docket (No. 0735) goes to the Committee on Planning Development and Transportation.

Watch Edwards talk to the rest of the council on this:

Catch up here:

Should Bostonians Pay $25 A Year For Resident Parking?

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).