Take to the Streets

"I don't make the law; I just carry it out" is a familiar reply to overnight parkers. This year, the Cambridge City Council and the local police intend to make a lot of money on this quotation. Tightening the law, however, will not solve the parking problem. Since there is always an overflow from available car plots, opening some streets to night parking is the only way out.

Although the University last year provided the Business School lot, few took this offer seriously, especially when a long, wet walk and an hour of jockeying on ice were in prospect. Four hundred car-owners applied for space, and tickets were destined to become extinct. But one night when the plow was unable to squeeze through a congested street, the police investigated and found only 40 cars in the lot. The remaining autos were clustered about the Houses and getting away with it.

Unfortunately, there is no other possible space for large-scale parking near the dormitories. The narrow streets must be left clear for the snow and fire equipment. But the few broader ones, including Boylston, Massachusetts, and Mount Auburn, can easily accommodate both parked cars and traffic. They would take care of the Business School lot absentees and others who do not enjoy a hike on snowshoes. In case of other homeless machines, there is a vacant plot next to the Peabody Museum which can be made to handle at least 100 automobiles.

Until Cambridge can obtain more garage room, overnight parking on wide streets is the only solution. If zones are planned carefully, the cold war between car-parkers and the police will come to an end.