The overnight parking ban would cover Montana from Hoosac to Bond, all within the campus area,
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Public Safety Committee will recommend the City Council amend its parking regulations to ban overnight parking on Montana Street between Hoosac and Bond streets.
Instituting a year-round winter parking ban on the residential street comes at the request of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts because of the instances of students living on-campus parking in the street rather than in college parking lots. The overnight parking reduces the spaces for commuter students and residents of the neighborhood, according to college officials.
A couple councilors expressed concern at the last City Council meeting that instituting the ban was forcing the city to deal with student parking rather than the college. They also noted that the city's winter parking ban covered most of the college's academic year anyway.
"If I had another option I would propose it but this seems the least harmful to everyone," said James Stakenas, MCLA vice president of administration and finance, at the Public Safety Committee meeting on Monday. He said the college's public safety department would aid in any ticketing and enforcement.
Committee Chairman Alan Marden asked if the college was looking at long-range solutions for future growth, considering the construction of the new science center.
MaryAnn King, chairman of the Traffic Commission that had previously approved the request, expressed concern that students in the Townhouse dormitories were perforce having to park on the street because only one parking permit was being allowed with each three or four-person dorm.
Stakenas said 25 spots were being added across the street and that that college expected to stay at about 2,000 students over the next five years. However, he couldn't guarantee the ratio between on-campus and commuter students; this year, the number of commuter students has risen.
The committee also approved, pending approval from the state, the painting of the MCLA letters on two crosswalks on Ashland Street near the Townhouses and two on Church Street near the Berkshire Towers and its parking lot.
King said she had spoken to state officials who indicated to her that the state would not approve the lettering because of safety and liability concerns. The state must approve any street changes in the college area.
Stakenas said the college would still submit a letter seeking endorsement. "I'd like the opportunity to try."
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Last I knew- Montana St. did not run from Hoosac to Bond. Montana ends just before the Campus Center- opposite the Townhouse firelane---the street becoems Corinth St. at that point and runs past Bond and across Davenport---any tickets issues for Montana while it is really Corinth will be invalid and some students are bright enough to figure that out
So, this means that any regular residents of that neighborhood who park on-street during non-winter months will be ticketed. Nice. You can't park on-street in a residential area in the summer because the college can't provide enough off-street parking for its own students from September to May? Thanks for punishing people who pay taxes so that the college can shed one of its own problems onto the city. As usual when it comes to traffic issues, this city has no clue. Dunkin' Donuts gets a drive-thru that clogs traffic every day, but that's just fine, no problem there. Let's ban parking, year-round, on a street to raise more ticket revenues from already broke residents. Typical of these councilors to have no clue.
Hey, Dumb, what "regular" residents are impacted by an overnight ban on Montana Street between Hoosac and Bond? It's college property on both sides of the street in that stretch.
Also, CHB is technically correct about where it becomes Corinth Street, although almost nobody recognizes it as such.
Editor: Didn't know it either. We expect streets to begin and end at logical landmarks, like at Bond Street. But then, this is now and not when the street was laid out. I Agree (1) - I Disagree (0)
There was an intersecting street- Lawrence Avenue that ran from Ashland St to Church St---roughly along the Town House firelane and extending--right now about where the sidewalk at the Campus Center begins (there's a little jut out into the street) is where Corinth St/ begins---I agree that Arpee is correct in his statement that "almost nobody recognizes it as such"-----BUT if you are writing out parking tickets---it's the language in the ordinance that counts----a lot of no parking ordinances use feet from a corner---e.g. X feet in a southerly direction extendin to a point----etc.---and anybody who umpires in the Little League World Series knows that that base lines are not alterable---so we solve the problem-- arm the Campus Police and let them shoot violators----probably only take two or three and then they'll behave
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