What follows is an email from a visitor to Falmouth, and my reply. Some names and details have been removed, but it doesn't change the overall message.
I thought this was worth sharing because of the attention given lately to parking issues in town. As noted below, Falmouth doesn't (currently) use metered spaces to generate revenue, but we do generate revenue from the sale of beach stickers, which are basically permits for using the beach parking lots.
Could this change? Maybe. Whether or not we intend to generate revenue from parking fees and fines, the fact is that by charging for parking, it helps control traffic. Free is great, but when everyone can get something free, there usually isn't enough to go around, as this exchange (below) illustrates.
Food for thought.
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Hello,
My name is Mr. XYZ, and I am writing to you because I received a parking ticket while parked outside of Pie in the Sky bakery on [date & time].
Parking meters exist to enforce parking restrictions, which are absolutely necessary in the Woods Hole area between April and October. Maybe even year-round during the weekday business hours. Not on [date & time], which is when I parked. Parking meters should not be used to earn revenue.
Further, in a time of relative fiscal restraint... is it really financially efficient to pay for parking enforcement during the winter weekends? I'd blurt out an answer of "No!," but I guess if you're going to over-zealously ticket...
I live near [coastal town]. Another town similar to Woods Hole. [coastal town] enforces their parking meters 7 days a week (maybe even 24 hours a day). There are huge signs that explain the rules when you enter the town. However, [coastal town] removes its parking meters in the winter because there is no need for them! Why burden the locals and distract potential visitors when there is ample parking? Why can't Falmouth and Woods Hole figure this out?
I spent almost 30 dollars at Pie in the Sky on 3 breakfast sandwiches, a juice, two coffees, and a croissant. I could have gotten something at any random Dunkin Donuts for half the price. But I like Woods Hole and I like the bakery. We visit the Cape 6-8 times a year and visit Falmouth and Woods Hole 2-3 times a year. We spend money in your town. Unless I receive a thoughtful response, my conclusion is not to return to the area for the rest of the year. Enjoy your $10. I will not support a town who is unwilling to support their own businesses.
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Mr. XYZ
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Dear Mr. XYZ,
Thank you for your email. You directed it to our finance director and
town clerk, but since you copied the selectmen, and because it is we who
set policy, and fees and fines, I thought it more appropriate that I
respond.
Ironically, I, too, have found a parking ticket on my windshield while
patronizing Pie In The Sky. It's a wonderful bakery that I just don't
have enough time to indulge as much as I'd like. And like you, I was
upset. However, to be perfectly honest, if we don't feed the meter, we
must pay the piper. Or the parking ticket as would be the case.
Falmouth is a bargain. Our $10 parking fine compares quite favorably
with Boston (which I believe is $25), and Chatham, another Cape Cod
resort community. They issue $50 parking tickets. I should know - I got
a parking ticket there last year.
That said; Falmouth is not Boston or Chatham or even [coastal town]. Indeed,
Falmouth, and the village of Woods Hole in particular, is unique in all
of Massachusetts, and not just for it's geography, scenery, bakeries, or
marine research institutions. As you probably know, Woods Hole is the
home port of the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship
Authority (the "SSA"), a state-chartered organization charged with
maintaining a lifeline between Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, and the
Massachusetts mainland.
As a result, Woods Hole is a working ferry port. A significant side
effect of this is that residents of both Martha's Vineyard and the
mainland use Falmouth to park their vehicles as they travel across
Vineyard Sound. Although the SSA maintains a number of parking lots in
Falmouth to accommodate these travelers, there's always someone who
tries to avoid paying for parking.
Which brings us to your question, "Why burden the locals and distract
potential visitors when there is ample parking?"
The simple truth is that there is ample parking because of the meters.
You asked, "Why can't Falmouth and Woods Hole figure this out?" Well,
what Falmouth figured out years ago was that without meters, parking in
Woods Hole was impossible at any time of the year. Right now, parking in
a SSA parking lot costs $10. If we were to remove the meters - to
eliminate the fees and fines associated with parking on the street in
Woods Hole, to make street parking cheaper than using a SSA lot - the
parking space you used to patronize Pie In The Sky would already have
been taken by someone traveling to or from Martha's Vineyard.
Like many communities, Falmouth struggles with the challenge of auto
traffic. However, we do not use parking meters for revenue. Rather, they
have been carefully placed in a few locations in order to ensure that
our residents and guests do not monopolize the limited parking that is
available. For example, in addition to Woods Hole, we also have meters
at Falmouth Harbor, which also hosts several ferries such as the Island
Queen and the Pied Piper.
Long story short, the meters are there so visitors such as yourself can
find parking when you want to patronize businesses like Pie In The Sky.
Thank you again for your email, and thank you for visiting us in the
off-season. I hope this email has answered your question, but if it has
not, I've included my cell phone below. Feel free to call me.
--
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Brent Putnam
Chairman, Board of Selectmen
Town of Falmouth
508-444-0222
www.FalmouthLocal.com
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