A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 18-95, regarding the policy on parking in front of driveways

CITY OF CAMBRIDGE Traffic, Parking, and Transportation 344 Broadway Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 www.cambridgema.gov/traffic Joseph E. Barr, Director Phone: [phone removed] Stephanie McAuliffe, Assistant Director for Parking Management Fax: [phone removed] Brooke McKenna, Assistant Director for Street Management MEMORANDUM TO: Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager FROM: Joseph E. Barr, Director DATE: October 10, 2018 RE: Awaiting Report 18-95 – Policy on Parking in Front of Driveways This memo is in response to Calendar Item #9 from the September 24, 2018 City Council Meeting (Awaiting Report 18-95) requesting an update on policies and regulations regarding residents’ ability to park in front of their driveways. The City’s Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Regulations with respect to vehicles standing or parking in front of driveways have not changed recently. Article XIV, Section 14.1 Stopping, Standing or Parking Prohibited states: “Except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic, or in compliance with law or the directions of a police officer or official traffic control device, no person shall: (b) stand or Park a Vehicle Whether Occupied or Not, Except Momentarily to Pick Up or Discharge a Passenger or Passengers…(3) In front of a public or private driveway, private road, private way or alley…” Past and current practice is that we provide an accommodation for Cambridge residents by allowing them to park in front of their own driveway when “No Parking” signs are not present on either side of their driveway. Parking their vehicle in front of their driveway in this situation is merely an accommodation and has never been memorialized in any regulation. The space in front of a driveway is not a parking space but rather a means of vehicular access to a parcel of land abutting a highway or street. In the absence of “No Parking” signs, vehicles can and do park in that access space. Unless a complaint is received, those vehicles will not be ticketed or towed (unless they are violating another regulation, such as street cleaning). However, if “No Parking” signs are posted on either side of a driveway, then no vehicle is allowed to park between those signs, regardless of the vehicle and/or building ownership. It is important to note that these “No Parking” signs are installed at the request of a property owner, generally to provide more clearance to improve access to their driveway and abutting property. The installation of these “No Parking” signs creates a small no parking zone around the driveway access space in question, but also restricts the ability to park in that space. From an enforcement and customer service standpoint, a clear and consistent manner and method of enforcing this situation is necessary and we have instructed Parking Control Officers to consistently enforce No Parking restrictions, whether these are located at driveways, in commercial areas, adjacent to schools, or at other locations. In the past, it has been

Page 2 of 2 confusing for both staff and residents when a vehicle parked in and/or partially encroached into the driveway access space when “No Parking” signs are present, so this policy seeks to eliminate that confusion. It is important to note that if any If any Cambridge property owner has “No Parking” signs on either side of their driveway and would like to have them removed, they may contact us at [phone removed] to request that these signs be removed. Information about this policy is available on the “Parking” section of the Department’s web site, and is also being included in the 2019 Resident Parking Permit brochure that is distributed to everyone who receives a resident permit, starting on November 1, 2018.