— Photo by Bobbie Toner

By Ryan DiLello

On Thursday, January 12, members of the Somerville Traffic Commission convened to vote on several proposed motions for the month. The commission approved the installation of three accessible parking spaces and two fire lines, but spent the majority of its time on a motion that would extend parking restrictions along Highland Avenue, School Street, and Walnut Street during the school drop-off hours of 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. 

The new parking policy comes as part of the Central Hill curbside management pilot. Launched on January 24, 2022, the pilot restricts parking on three high-traffic streets near Somerville High School to ease parking pains during school-drop-off hours.

On Thursday, the commission heard a request for an extension of the pilot to June 30, 2024. Data collected by the commission shows that the pilot regulations are being used as intended, with a highest utilization on Highland Avenue between 8:30 – 9:00 a.m. Resident parking is still available overnight, provided cars are moved before 7:00 a.m.

The pilot comes at a critical time as traffic patterns change in wake of the Green Line extension opening in December and the community path extension yet to come. In addition to ongoing construction and changing requirements in City Hall staffing, the pilot helps optimize parking at peak times for school versus residential use.

The commission voted unanimously to extend the pilot program into June, but requested that the team continue to monitor parking utilization especially by season.