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Beezlegrunk t1_jdmue4i wrote

Reply to comment by Status_Silver_5114 in Cranston Overnight Parking - Council Meeting March 27 @ 7pm by ninjaxturtles

Thanks for explaining the reasoning for allowing limited parking, but my poorly worded question was meant to ask why they restricted street parking in the first place? I’m not sure when it started, but it was already prohibited when I moved here …

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listen_youse t1_jdn6dx5 wrote

When you could not be an outright "Sundown Town" anymore, the overnight parking ban was a next best thing. If you do not have the means to secure off street parking, we do not want you around.

Its most zealous supporters continue to be NIMBYs who find it a convenient weapon against neighbors in multifamily houses.

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walkinsmall t1_jdo39ny wrote

This. The eastern side of the city is targeted but you’d be hard pressed to find anyone in western Cranston receiving a ticket for parking on their street overnight.

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Content_Age_9278 t1_jdo31dk wrote

Hey there Beezlegrunk! I totally get what you are asking about the restrictions on street parking in Cranston. To my understanding, there may have been some issues in the past with traffic or safety concerns that prompted the city to enforce the restrictions. Also, it's possible that some residents in the area complained about too many cars parked on the street, so the city put those regulations in place to appease them. Regardless of the reasons, it's definitely a bummer that you can't park on the street overnight. But on the bright side, at least we have a council meeting going on soon where we can maybe voice our opinions and see if any changes can be made. Hope this helps and catch ya later!

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Status_Silver_5114 t1_jdmvmbu wrote

I have no idea. My fam Who has lived here on and off for their whole lives couldn’t even recall!! I find it so odd - other cities work when people park on the street. Why are we pretending we’re like Norwood or suburban NJ (only other places I’ve seen it).

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Beezlegrunk t1_jdnda8v wrote

I’ve never lived in a city that claimed to restrict overnight parking as Providence does, but I’ve lived in a bunch of cities that actually give tickets for (non-meter) parking violations, which PVD rarely seems to do.

If you park on the street-cleaning side of the street in other cities when you’re not supposed to, parking enforcement officers drive a block ahead of the street sweepers and will happily ticket you.

By contrast, the parking enforcement here (like so much else) is mostly performative, such that when someone actually does get a citation it’s a genuine surprise.

The capricious enforcement leads to cynicism and contempt for rules in general, which seeps into civic culture and people’s attitudes toward any kind of personal responsibility.

Fair but consistent enforcement is better than absent or sporadic enforcement …

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