PARKING

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

Since the second week of September Harvard graduate and off-campus students have been engulfed in a deluge of parking tickets for "off-street" overnight parking in Cambridge. This activity is not predatory, contrary to under current opinion, but arises as the result of lack of information on the part of Harvard students and poor administration on the part of Cambridge authorities.

Prior to June a "one-hour parking" rule was in effect on all Cambridge streets from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. Because this law was never posted and seldom enforced, acute traffic problems arose with respect to one-way streets, fire and emergency calls, and snow removal. Attempts to resolve the problem through enforcement of the little-known law aroused the ire of students when they discovered that sufficient overnight parking accommodations were not available at any cost.

It was to alleviate both these situations that the City Council passed an amendment to the statute (ordinance #594, effective 6/12/58) making the "one-hour limit" rule ineffective between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. for cars parked on the odd-numbered side of the street during the odd months, and on the street during the odd months, and on the even-numbered side of the street during the even months. This "double-negative" ordinance becomes complicated in that:

1) The regulation applies to all streets, one-way or otherwise, regardless of regulations to the contrary which may be posted;

2) After 6 a.m. the posted regulations, if any, resume effect;

3) Signs have not been posted promulgating the new statutory amendment, nor have any existing signs been removed which restrict parking in ways contrary to this amendment, although the amendment supersedes all currently posted restrictions.

A typical example will illustrate the complexity of this "double-negative" ordinance and the confusion arising from its enforcement:

Martin Street has "no parking--tow away zone" signs on the odd-numbered side, but no signs whatsoever on the even side. The normal propensity of an unsuspecting person would be to avoid the odd side at all times and to assume that parking on the unposted side was allowable at all times. But actually, this is true only in February, April, June, August October, and December. In all other months a car must be parked on the even side during the day and until 1 a.m.; at 1 a.m. it must be towed to the odd side, and at 6 a.m. it must be returned to the even side. However, there is no sign posted which would so instruct a potential parker. Therefore, during the odd months he is fined for parking in an unposted (and therefore supposedly unrestricted) area, and in order to obey the unposted law he must park, at night, at least half the months of the year in an area which is posted as a "tow-way" zone. Thus, one who attempts to obey the law as posted actually violates it unknowingly half the time.

To make matters worse, the amendment has been publicised only in the local (Cambridge) newspapers. No attempt has been made to inform Harvard authorities, and Harvard University police have been left completely in the dark as to the complexity of the problem. Harvard students, who for the most part are unaware that local newspapers exist in Cambridge, have therefore never been informed of the amendment, much less the original ordinance. This is particularly true for new graduate students entering in September. Cambridge police privately acknowledge the unfairness of this lack of communication and feel that students should be informed via the University before being held liable for infractions. They are powerless, however, to do anything less than prosecute "violators" of the complicated ordinance.

In the meantime stepped-up enforcement by police has resulted in greater confusion and a proliferation of tickets. Police officers have cited a number of apparently different violations on the tickets, leaving the receiver at a loss to determine the nature of his infraction. Among citations made for violations of this amended ordinance during the past few days are:

RA

Parked on even side

R/A Wrongside

R/W more than 12" from curb

All night parking wrong side

On one occasion a patrolman questioned while in the act of presenting a ticket was unable to explain the law being violated.

Enterprising students who telephoned Cambridge police were informed of the "odd-month, odd-side" amendment and were instructed at the time to "ignore all posted signs since they are superseded". They did is directed, only to be dismayed the following morning to find their cars again tagged. It seems the police had failed to also inform them that posted rules again go into effect after 6 a.m. and should no longer be ignored after that time.

Although Cambridge police generally attempt to be sympathetic to student problems, rapport between them and well-intentioned students has deteriorated because of inability of students to be properly informed regarding regulations; failure of city administrative authorities to properly post existing ordinances or to amend signs so as to conform with latest amendments; and drafting of ordinances in such a way as to prove misleading when combined with improper posting.