Parallel Parking: City Cracks Down on Student Traffic

Wednesday, October 3, 1951

Councillor's Protest Fails To Stir Drive on Parking

By GEORGE S. ABRAMS

City Councillor Edward A. Sullivan yesterday demanded action on what he termed “the deplorable parking situation around Harvard.” Meanwhile Acting Chief Patrick J. McCarthy last night ended rumors of an immediate police crackdown on overnight parking.

Sullivan’s ire was aroused Saturday night when he ran into a bottle-neck on a side street and had to back out. “Students’ cars were double parked in streets around the Harvard Square area. What if fire breaks out some night in those dormitories? A fire truck could never get to it,” he stated.

Mayor Edward A. Crane ’35 appointed Sullivan chairman of a special committee to confer with University officials on student parking. This followed a lengthy discussion of the situation in last Monday’s City Council meeting.

Captain McCarthy, when informed of Sullivan’s action, stated that he will stick by his two week parking grant to University students. He clarified his statement, however, by saying that his men will tag overnight parkers in boarding house and residential areas. “The moratorium applies only to the immediate dormitory and House vicinity and not to places like Trowbridge Street. There will be no police get-tough policy without the student body being adequately warned through the Crimson,” the Captain added.

Common Parking

Just what action Councillor Sullivan plans to take is as yet unknown. He did say that he will confer with Cambridge and University police “very soon.” “I believe it’s squarely up to Harvard officials to provide space. The University’s Western Avenue parking lot behind the Business School is far too distant for student use. Maybe we can make some use of the parking facilities around Cambridge Common by opening this area to students from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m.,” he concluded.

Sullivan said that many of the double-parked cars were from out-of-state. “I’ve heard,” he stated, “that many of these students tear up their parking tickets.”

University officials, meanwhile, disclosed plans to conduct their own get-tough drive on all University property after the registration deadline on Friday is passed. The Administrative Vice-President’s office said yesterday that all non-registered cars on University property would get University tags after Friday.

Monday, May 13, 2002

Students To Retain City Parking Permits

By SAMUEL A. S. CLARK

Residents of Cambridge’s Riverside neighborhood, which lies adjacent to Harvard’s southernmost river Houses, asked the Cambridge City Council early last month to no longer grant residential parking permits to Harvard students living in the Houses.