Politics & Government
Parking in Winchester Could Wind up Costing Drivers
The motive behind having drivers pay to park their car is to increase the amount of turnover in these spaces, allowing customers easy accessibility to the downtown shops.
It's only a matter of time now before paid parking will be coming to Winchester. There are some details yet to be worked – mainly finalizing prices and parking zones in the town – but it is inevitable.
The purpose of the parking program is to promote an increased turnover in the parking spaces. The combined committee of Planning Board members and Selectmen assigned to address this problem are hopeful that this new policy will force commuters out of the town center and into parking spaces further away from Main Street.
The result would be an increase in the number of parking spaces, allowing residents and possible customers easy access to stores, which will in turn, increase the amount of business at these stores.
Find out what's happening in Winchesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"We're looking at this because there have been many constituencies who have complained," said Selectman Roger Berman. "They complain about availability (of the parking spaces), and the main focus of this (parking program) is availability and how to promote it."
Because there is no paid parking in the downtown area, many commuters park in that area taking up spaces for those who are looking to shop at the local stores. The committee is trying to find an ideal solution that would force the commuters to a location away from the center of town, while not overpricing the residents who want to do some shopping in the center for an hour or two.
Find out what's happening in Winchesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"We've had a 20-year parking experiment with the current system," said Planning Board member Lance Grenzeback. "And after 20 years this current parking system does not work."
Currently, the committee is working with the idea that the parking areas in the highest demand, the spaces around the town center, will start off at .50 cents an hour. The first 15 minutes at these spaces would be free. The thinking, as of now, is to have an escalating price scale.
The price would jump to $1 for the second hour and $1.50 for the third, totaling $3 for a three-hour trip to Main Street. However, the longer a car stays parked, the higher the cost.
A full day on Main Street could cost $24. The moderate demand area, along Church Street and further away from the town center, which also includes the Waterfield Lot would start with the first 30 minutes free. After that it would jump to .25 cents for the first two hours, and again, with the escalation, a full day could cost $12.
The prices decrease accordingly the further away from the town center a car parks. Low demand areas would be free, along with the Jenks Lot. Town Hall could cost $4 to park for a full day, while at Aberjona it may eventually cost $6.
"The first reaction of a lot of people are going to be to resist change," Berman said. "My first reaction to a lot of this, was how much is this going to cost? We need to get those numbers out there."
While the official numbers and specific zones are yet to be finalized, the committee is slowly moving towards the implementing this parking plan.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.