The Amherst town government is at it again, trying to take parking from the citizens of Amherst. Now they want to take parking away on Sunset Avenue and Elm Street too.
The Amherst Town Council should allow as much unpaid daytime parking as possible for visitors, workers and students. I know that the homeowners on Lincoln Avenue have recited horror stories of parking on that street, but that is not what I see on a daily basis. I see a manageable traffic pattern kept in check with the frequent speed bumps.
I also see hard working community members: workers, students, and visitors, utilizing a public resource — free public parking — in a prudent and efficient manner. These people parking on Lincoln Avenue are doing nothing wrong. They are contributing to the community, paying taxes, working and educating themselves. They are doing their best to navigate a maddening Amherst parking landscape, without the town picking their pocket in fees.
After they park, they must walk or bike a half mile or more to get to their jobs or classes at UMass or the town center. The town manager proposes to effectively ban daytime parking on Lincoln Avenue. Did he speak to these community members before making this proposal? No. Did he consider all the consequences of this change? No.
Free parking is a scarce public resource in Amherst, a resource that belongs to the community as a whole, not to the 13 property owners who have parking in front of their houses. The town manager proposes to remove an additional 200 parking spots from the community’s use.
If Amherst want to be the place to visit, live and work, it should commit to making parking convenient and free. After all, we’re in the Pioneer Valley, not a suburb of Boston.
James Barna
Amherst