Parking Advisory Committee discusses free parking for business district

By The Advocate

The Parking Advisory Committee is putting together a new parking program for Broadway that the entire city will like. At their January meeting, they discussed the plan to give everyone who comes to Broadway to run an errand or pick up takeout, or for any other short visit, 15 minutes of free parking.

Other cities and towns with similar parking provisions put up small signs that say parking is limited to 15 minutes. But Revere isn’t going with the honor system.

The committee is looking at two styles of meters for short-term parking. One attaches to a parking meter pole and has a button that’s pushed to start a 15-minute clock. A second style meter goes on top of an existing meter and snaps a photo every time a car moves in or out of a space. The first option is $265 per unit, while the dome goes for $295. The committee believes they will need 30 units, all of which will also require a Bluetooth adapter. The committee will be looking for some numbers and information on revenue collected with the new tech in a few months.

The Parking Committee’s newest member, Juan D. Jaramillo, who also owns SofisTech, a commercial sign shop on Broadway, represents the Broadway Business Association. Jaramillo offered to supply signs or stickers with instructions for the new 15-minute meters, but the committee did not feel that would be necessary.

Jaramillo stressed that limited parking and aggressive enforcement are issues that the Broadway business community felt were difficult on customers and a drag on business. “We don’t want people to come in for a $10 food order and then get whacked with a $20 ticket,” said Jaramillo, who added that businesses on Shirley Avenue have also had problems with delivery trucks.

The committee voted to table the free parking plan until their next meeting on or around April 16.