If you live or work in New Haven, you know the struggle that is finding a good parking spot.
Along Howard Avenue between Minor Street and Columbus Avenue, there are no meters and the only restricted parking signs are for when it snows.
“It is free open territory,” said resident Janice Parker, “but we are asking the Yale employees to be considerate of the people that live here.”
Hospital and university employees are taking advantage of the free parking, Parker said, forcing residents to find other places to park.
“Most of the streets around here are already zoned,” Parker said, “so the residents are getting parking tickets by going to other places.”
In order to reserve spots, Parker has resorted to leaving trash bins in the street.
“They’ve been out there for about two months now,” she said.
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Parker and her neighbors want a more permanent solution. They are asking city officials for a residential parking zone on their block.
“We as residents who live here do not have efficient parking for ourselves,” Parker said.
Director of Transportation, Traffic and Parking Doug Housladen said it is a two-step process to change the current parking situation.
“One is a legislative process that creates a zone and then a petition process that changes a regulation into a residential zone only,” Housladen said.
Another option, Housladen said, would be to turn that portion of Howard Ave. into a mixed residential and metered parking zone.
