Manager, Residents Dispute New Parking Plan

Proposal Would Replace Current Freeze But Curb Parking Rights, Harm Local Businesses, Say Opponents

By Melissa Lee, Crimson Staff Writer March 31, 1992

According to Healy, his proposal is preferable to the current parking freeze, which he says is "inefficient" because "parked cars don't cause air pollution--cars being driven does."

Healy's plan also stresses the need to reduce the number of vehicle trips made in the city by encouraging car pools and the use of public transportation.

Specifically, the city will attempt to decrease auto emissions by aiming to reduce the "vehicle miles travelled." The plan includes efforts to discourage cross-town trips on weekdays, increase in-city employment opportunities for residents and expand bicycle mobility by creating bike routes throughout Cambridge.

In addition, the city will lobby for statewide conservation laws including an increase in the gas tax, incentives to encourage the conversion of vehicles to cleaner fuels and possibly providing tax breaks for alternative travel modes.

Healy's report estimates that the plan could decrease the miles traveled daily in the city by between 104,500 to 170,500, a decrease of up to 5 percent. In Cambridge and Boston, there is currently a 3 percent growth in the miles traveled, according to the report.

Cambridge Citizens for Livable Neighborhoods (CCLN) Co-Chair Debra M. McManus said that her group "does not endorse the plan."

While the CCLN does approve of the effort to expand bicycle and commuter mobility, McManus said the plan will "on the whole increase" the amount of traffic in the city. CCLN has submitted its own plan, which differs on several points from the city manager's plan.

Under the city manager's plan, residential parking fees would help fund "commuter services." But the CCLN plans calls for those amenities to be paid for by the commuters themselves. The CCLN plan also outlines the establishment of a "paratransit system" which would supplement the MBTA buses by running a fleet of vans and buses in city neighborhoods.

Healy said he remains strongly supportive of his proposal, despite the criticism of his plan by both activists and business leaders. Improved air quality "is achievable, although it may not be popular," he added.