Medford Parking Vendor Axed; City To Oversee Policy, Enforcement

MEDFORD, MA — The city will not renew its contract with third-party vendor ParkMedford, which expires in January. Parking policy and enforcement will then fall under the purview of a newly created city department.

Medford has started the hiring process for a director of parking. The city plans to pull operations in house by early 2022, incrementally expanding staff and responsibilities over the subsequent months and years.

Medford will take ownership of all parking-related resources and materials, including parking kiosks, meters, databases and related information when its contract with ParkMedford expires.

"The city of Medford has numerous important yet diverse needs when it comes to parking policy and enforcement, but for decades we have not had adequate policies in place to meet those needs," Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said in a statement. "From visitor and employee parking in business districts, to consistent resident permit parking especially in areas bordering Tufts University and transit stations, and everything in between, it is the city's responsibility to provide fair and equitable parking for our community members, and bringing this work under the City’s full administration is a huge step in the right direction."

Lungo-Koehn convened a 12-member commission on parking policy and enforcement prior to making her decision. The commission reviewed existing parking policies and enforcement measures, providing 21 recommendations for consideration by the city administration.

The city is planning a series of public meetings and opportunities for community input starting this fall. For information on the Commission on Parking Policy & Enforcement, and the final report, visit www.medfordma.org/boards/parking-policy.