Brookline To Lift Emergency Parking Rules June 1

BROOKLINE, MA —If you've been enjoying —or not enjoying— parking overnight on Brookline streets, brace yourselves: That's going away next month and points to a bit of normalcy returning to town.

Since March, the town has permitted "Emergency Parking" rules —lifting penalties for unpaid meters, two hour parking restrictions and allowing parking overnight— amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"We did it to accommodate people in the begging of this emergency when we really had no sense of where it was going to end up," Bernard Greene told Patch. "This was just a way to make it a little easier on people."

With a clearer picture of the months ahead, the Select Board decided it was time to lift the emergency parking rules. Beginning June 1, Brookline police will resume enforcement of metered parking, two-hour parking and overnight parking restrictions. It comes as the number of people who tested positive, and the number of deaths, has slowed in recent days.

Read more: Brookline Coronavirus Cases Edge Close To 350

There will still be special designated delivery and takeout parking zones, at least until June 30 in an effort to help make it easier for customers to pick up from restaurants.

The expanded pedestrian walkways will also stay in effect until at least June 30.

The return to normal in Brookline means there will be parking tickets. However, town officials warn, though you have a right to challenge a ticket, for the time being that will have to be by mail or email, because of the "ongoing challenges related to in-person services as a result of COVID-19."

To allow overnight street parking or not to, has come up various times throughout the years. Those who criticize it say it's unfair to renters whose buildings don't come with parking, or is elitist. Proponents say it makes it easier for the town to do road work whenever it needs to since it doesn't have to wait for people to move their cars. Ultimately, it's been illegal to park in Brookline overnight since the days when people rode horses to get around. These days, officials say it's partially about aesthetic, partly to allow for road maintenance from street cleaning to plowing and partially to keep crime (car break-ins) down. Some say it also discourages people from having cars while living in Brookline, an environmental boon. Parking tickets also provide revenue to the town. Need a parking space? The town rents them for $100 a month.

RELATED: Brookline Farmers Market To Open Again June 4,But With New Rules

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).Have a press release you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how to post a press release, opinion piece.