Is Worcester Using Parking Ban to Raise Revenue?

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Saturday, December 20, 2014

Patrick Sargent, GoLocal Worcester Contributor

As of December 1, a permanent winter parking ban was put into effect throughout the city of Worcester. The ban will last until April 30. According to the city, the parking ban serves the purpose of keeping streets open and traffic moving. Failure to follow the guidelines of the parking ban could result in a parking ticket. On Thursday morning, residents of June Street found out the hard way that the city takes the ban seriously.

"The city needs a winter parking ban, but it needs to be enforced with common sense," said Worcester resident Steve Quist, who witnessed many of his neighbors getting ticketed around 5:30 a.m on June Street. "Less than 26 minutes before the ban stops at 6 a.m., the city was racing up and down June Street ticketing everyone. People come out of their house between 6 and 7 a.m. and now they have to start their day off with a ticket from the city. Theire is nothing warranted for that ticket. There is a parking ban, but there’s no snow on the ground, there’s no impending bad weather. You need to enforce the laws with common sense. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should always do it.”

What's the Cost of a Parking Ban Violation?

Quist said, "They're doing it because they can do it. It's a revenue generator for them. How much can we really get out of middle-class Americans and people in the city who are actually paying their taxes? How many more pennies can we pinch out of them? It's Merry Christmas from the City of Worcester."

Parking is not allowed on the even numbered side of the street. Whenever a Winter Parking Ban is declared, parking on both side is allowed until the current permanent ban goes in effect on December 1. For instance, before the storm last month prior to Thanksgiving, a declared winter parking ban was put into effect due to inclement weather being forecasted. One week later, the ban became permanent until the end of April.

For parking on the wrong side of the road during Worcester's parking ban, the ticket cost is $50. Multiple violations in a 12 month period will result in a second ticket at $75, and a third at $100.

To search for parking ban details on your street, click here: Worcester Winter Parking Ban.

Why is There a Parking Ban in April?

Worcester's winter parking ban lasts through the month of April. In 1997, Worcester was hit hard by a blizzard on April Fool's Day. The blizzard dropped 33 inches of snow on the city. However, recent data suggests that snow in April is extremely rare.

According to Usclimatedata.com, the city of Worcester has seen less than seven inches of snow in the last ten years. Since 2004, snow fell on four days in April. In 2011, Worcester saw nearly four inches of snow in April 1. In 2007, less than 2.5 inches of snow accumulated in April between April 4 and 5. On April 5, 2006, the city saw 1.5 inches of snow fall. 

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