Finding a parking space isn’t especially easy anywhere in the city, but the closer to Broadway, the tougher finding a spot can get.
At Tuesday night’s Parking and Traffic Commission meeting, Chestnut Street resident Theodore Bisbicos appeared before the commission to discuss parking issues on his street. The commission suggested Bisbicos submit a formal request to the commission in time for its next meeting requesting that his block of Chestnut Street between Third and Fourth Streets be a residents-only parking area during daytime hours.
“We bought a three-family over on Chestnut Street in May of ‘21, so we are learning about on-street parking and how difficult it is in Chelsea,” said Bisbicos.
Bisbicos said his girlfriend works in and out of her house during the day, and it can be difficult and frustrating to find a parking space when she leaves and then comes back during the day.
“We noticed that between Fourth and Fifth Streets, they have restricted parking during the daytime,” he said.
In addition, Bisbicos said his area of the street has lost several parking spaces to curb cuts and handicap spaces. In addition, there is an ongoing construction project on the street that has led to lost parking spaces during the day.
“We also get a ton of overflow parking from Broadway, and I think that is the main cause,” Bisbicos said. “They can’t find it on Broadway, so they come over to our section of Chestnut because it is a nice loop that you just keep going around. So what I am wondering is can we mimic the same parking they have between Fourth and Fifth which restricts daytime parking as well to only residents?”
Traffic Commission member James Caron of the public works department said the 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. parking restrictions between Fourth and Fifth were likely in place because they are near where the commuter rail station and Silver Line stop used to be located.
“It’s tough, like you said, on one hand we made that zone over there no parking during the day because of the train station,” said Caron. “But on the other side, there is a bus stop that goes right into Boston where someone could park there all day without a sticker and come back.”
Bisbicos said he would take the commission’s suggestion to make a formal request for parking restrictions on his block of Chestnut and ask his neighbors to support the request.
“We can go from there, and hopefully the construction finishes and you get a few more spaces,” said Caron.
Any formal request for a change in parking regulations would need a public hearing, as well as final approval by the city council.
In other business on Tuesday night, the Traffic and Parking Commission denied a request for a no parking sign on the edge of the Bellingham Street parking lot entrance for Worldwide Perishables.
The commission also tabled a decision on a request on making a portion of Clark Avenue one way until there is further information from the city’s traffic engineering consultant.
City Council President Leo Robinson requested the commission look into posting signage to support the police department’s efforts around the 988 phone number in regards to suicide prevention.
The commission determined that the posting of the signs were not related to parking or traffic, and could be approved by the city council.