The following letter was emailed to the Town Manager and Select Board members on August 15, 2024.

Dear Winchester Town Manager, Select Boar Chair, Vice Chair and Select Board Members,

I would like to follow up on my petition that I submitted to the Select Board on February 16, 2024. This petition was a request to consider eliminating the (potentially outdated) year-round overnight parking ban and replacing it with a ban on overnight parking during a snow emergency only. For reference, a copy of the petition (in pfd format) can be accessed here: http://winchesterparkingban.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Petition-for-Changing-The-Overnight-Parking-Ban-with-supplemental-pages.pdf

I would also like to point out that – even if the town decides not to take any action on the petition – our community needs a better understanding of (and better communication regarding) the overnight parking ban itself. In particular, I request that the following points are addressed:

1)        Clarity (of purpose). What is the purpose of the overnight parking ban? I.e., what public safety benefits does the overnight parking ban try to achieve? Note that it is not possible to justify the parking ban if we don’t know what it is for, and thus cannot discuss (1) if it is effective in its purpose (2) whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and (3) whether there are better alternatives to achieve our goals.

2)        Transparency (of enforcement). Why was there a significant increase in overnight tickets in winter 2023/24 compared with the previous winter season? Who in the town government decides how the ban will be enforced? What is the actual enforcement policy?

3)        Equity (of enforcement). As long as the ban remains in place, it is imperative that the town ensures there is equitable enforcement. What is the town doing to ensure the parking ban is enforced equally and fairly?

In closing, I would appreciate a response to my email so that I know what action (if any) will be taken regarding the overnight parking ban. Thank you.

Best regards,

Jeremy Elliott

FOR REFERENCE

Overnight parking tickets: increased enforcement.

There was a 3.9x increase in the number of tickets issued last winter vs. the previous year.

Uneven enforcement:

During the last winter season one section of town along Washington Street received zero tickets while another (small) section received roughly half of all tickets issued for the entire town. This was despite the fact that vehicles were more often found in the section where tickets were not issued.