Parking is always going to be a major issue within the bustling confines of Chelsea.
But several City Councilors said they believe the issue is not helped any by the number of hitch trailers and commercial vehicles that have been taking up parking spaces across the city.
Councilors Damali Vidot, Enio Lopez, and Giovanni Recupero introduced a motion Monday night asking that a subcommittee on conference be held to be held with the parking clerk, City Manager, and police to discuss the lack of enforcement of illegally parked hitched trailers and commercial vehicles on city streets.
“I live in the old District 5, and in this area, we have a huge parking issue, and we are seeing hitch trailers and commercial vehicles in our residential streets,” said Vidot.
For some time, Vidot noted that Lopez had been trying to raise awareness of the issues and sending out emails to other city officials looking for some relief and enforcement of the issue.
“He’s been sending out emails, I went back, and it has gone back years, emails with the Chief of Police, with the parking clerk, with the City Manager, where they continue to tell us they are going to be a little bit more active and making sure they are enforcing the parking restrictions on these folks, and yet they are still parking on our streets,” said Vidot. “Vehicles with a hitch trailer are taking up two to three parking spots. It’s just not fair that we are nickel and diming residents and continue to hammer them with parking tickets, but these big, huge vehicles are allowed to park on our streets.”
Vidot said she realizes that there needs to be a larger community-wide conversation on parking in the city, but until then, the city is going to have to address parking issues as they come up.
Lopez said he has been working with city officials to try to get greater enforcement, but still sees illegally parked commercial vehicles and hitch trailers not getting ticketed.
“They are taking spaces from our people who come in from a part-time job at 11 p.m. or midnight, and these people (with the commercial vehicles) don’t have a permit to park in the city,” said Lopez. “These commercial vehicles and trailers are all over the city.”
Recupero said it seems like there is a similar motion filed every year, but that he never sees any increased enforcement. “I want to know how many tickets have been given out to cars with trailers,” he said