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THE MALDEN ADVOCATE – Friday, July 19, 2019 Page 3 Committee presents resident parking plan to the neighborhoods By Barbara Taormina V isitor passes, weekend restrictions and parking on private ways are some of the issues raised by residents at a series of neighborhood meetings on the city’s proposed resident parking program. The Parking Review Committee has been making the rounds to different neighborhoods, explaining the program that has been in the works for the past year. Members repeatedly stressed the program is a work in progress and the committee’s goal at the meetings is to share information and gather input from residents. “We want to get feedback from the public to have the best possible program that’s not invasive to the way you park your vehicle,” Ward 2 Councillor Paul Condon told residents at a meeting at Salemwood School. Ron Hogan, director of the city’s Parking Department, has been leading the meetings, which include a slide presentation of the main elements of the program. The fourth slide, which features a huge “No” in the center, is Hogan’s favorite. It promises that the proposed program will have no costs for residents with passenger vehicles registered in Malden. And it will be easy. Residents who pay excise tax will receive a sticker with a permit number in the mail. The tentative start date for the program is next January. “For the majority of residents, resident parking will be a nonevent,” said Hogan. The proposal now on the table calls for resident-only parking on all city streets from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m., Monday through Friday. There are no restrictions on weekends and holidays. Streets around the MBTA will also be restricted to residents from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. The zones, or residential parking restrictions, now in place will be eliminated. “As much as we can we want to make sure our streets are left for our residents and their visitors,” said Hogan. Visitor passes were a major concern, and Hogan explained that the committee had spent a lot of time developing a virtual visitor pass system. Committee members learned from other cities and towns that one of the biggest complaints from residents was having to go to city hall and pay a fee for a visitor parking pass. In Malden, residents will be able to either call the parking department or head online to the department’s website with their sticker number, the license plate numbers of their guests and the dates a guest vehicle will be parked in Malden. Once that information is entered or phoned in, the visitor parking pass is valid. Hogan said residents will receive an email confirmation that they can print and place on a visitor’s vehicle, but it isn’t necessary. “We think this is unique and better than what’s in surrounding cities and towns,” said Hogan. A Boston Street couple who were at the parking presentation at Ferryway this week said their neighborhood, which already has resident-only parking around the clock, would be losing some parking protection under the new plan. They worried that cars from Everett could legally fill up their street until 1 a.m. And they didn’t like the prospect of heading out in the early mornDCR to begin work on Fells/ Highland Ave. intersection By Barbara Taormina A fter years of meetings, studies, presentations and debates, work is finally scheduled to begin on safety improvements at the intersection of Fellsway East and Highland Avenue. Long considered one of the most dangerous intersections in the state, and certainly the most dangerous in Malden, the intersection will undergo a major overhaul that includes removing the central traffic island, installing four-way traffic signals, shortening crosswalks and constructing sidewalks and bicycle corridors and repaving. The Fellsway is state road and responsibility for maintenance and improvements falls to the Department of Conservation and Recreation. After studying the intersection, DCR proposed a short-term fix that included bike lanes and reduced traffic lanes that was estimated to cost between $50,000 and $100,000. But nobody in Malden, and particularly residents of Ward 3 who cross the intersection every day, felt the short-term solution solved the safety problems. And many who looked at the short-term proposal cringed at the potential of long, slow lines of traffic moving through reduced lanes. City leaders and state reps continued to negotiate with DCR, emphasizing the fact that much of the traffic that channels through the intersection isn’t from Malden. The agency ultimately agreed to the longterm safety improvements that also incorporate feedback from residents. The new intersection is expected to cost about $1 million. DCR has agreed to cover twothirds of the cost of the project. Malden initially intended to cover its share of about $330,000 with mitigation money, funds the city collects from developers for improvements to ease the impact of new residential housing projects. City councillors supported that plan and suggested looking at Chapter 90 state funding for transportation and infrastructure to pay for the city’s share of the project. But For Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 617-387-2200 or Info@advocatenews.net Malden’s Statehouse delegation was able to dig out an additional $100,000 in state funding to help defray the city’s costs. Despite the extensive scope of the intersection makeover, city officials anticipate that the project will be substantially complete and functional sometime this fall. ing to move cars to spaces that open up at that hour. Hogan acknowledged that there might be some problems from residents on streets that border Revere, Melrose and Everett. Still, he said that neighborhood parking zones would likely be eliminated to make the program as clear and simple as possible. He urged residents in those areas to talk with their ward councillors about possible solutions. Another resident at the Ferryway presentation asked about restrictions on private ways. Hogan said that was one of several details the committee is still discussing. Several residents wondered why the committee didn’t go further and propose resident-parking-only 24 hours a day throughout the city. “We felt that daytime restrictions would interfere with people living their lives,” said Hogan. The Parking Review Committee plans to review and discuss concerns raised by residents and to continue ironing out some of the unresolved details of the plan. A citywide meeting on the proposal is planned for September. AUTOTECH 1989 SINCE Is your vehicle ready for the Summer Season?!! AC SPECIAL Recharge your vehicle's AC for the warm weather! Includes up to 1 IL. of Refrigerant* (*Most Vehicles) Only $59.95 DRIVE IT - PUSH IT - TOW IT! CASH FOR YOUR CAR, TRUCK OR SUV! 2013 FORD ESCAPE SE 4WD 2012 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA SE Auto., Leather, Loaded, Excellent Condition, Clean Title, Warranty, ONLY 72K Miles! Trades Welcomed READY TO GO! $7,495 Easy Financing Available! Loaded with Options, Panoramic Roof, Premium Sound System, Clean Title, Warranty, ONLY 64K Miles! 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