New Meters, Residential Program Among Medford Parking Guidance

MEDFORD, MA — The mayor's Commission on Parking Policy and Enforcement recently provided 21 recommendations to the city administration to revamp the current system of parking policies, fees and enforcement.

The commission released its nearly 60-page report following months of public meetings, data collection and analysis.

Among the recommendations were:

• Create, fund, and staff a Department of Transportation.
• Pursue action to collect outstanding parking fees owed to ParkMedford
• Implement a new residential parking program
• Create 15-minute parking options in defined business districts
• Deploy a new kiosk/meter program
• Identify, enhance, and enforce dedicated business parking spaces, areas, and lots in each business district

Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn is exploring options for bringing parking policy and enforcement under city management after the contract with ParkMedford/REEF Parking expires this fall.

"I am grateful for the commission's exhaustive work and recommendations on how Medford can address parking policy and enforcement in a responsible and equitable way," Lungo-Koehn said. "Medford's residents and neighborhoods need a thoughtful approach such as this to have confidence in the future of parking in our community. Implementing some of these important recommendations will be a huge undertaking, but we are prepared to do the work, and in fact have already started the process through internal meetings and discussion. I look forward to implementing these recommendations for the benefit of the entire city."

The commission was co-chaired by residents Jim Silva and Laurel Ruma, both of whom serve as Medford's liaisons to the Green Line Extension Working Group. The commission also included business representatives, residents, a City Council member and a member of the police department.

Lungo-Koehn lauded the commission for recognizing that "there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to this issue in Medford."

"Parking affects every resident, and it is integral to our citywide discussions about affordable housing, access to public transportation, reducing carbon emissions, and building back our business community after the pandemic," Ruma said in a statement. "We need a parking program that meets the parking and enforcement needs of residents and businesses, but with the flexibility of everyday life."

The report incorporated feedback from 986 residents and 95 businesses. Final implementation decisions are currently under consideration by the mayor, including the feasibility of bringing all parking operations under city management by 2022.

View the full report here.