A Solution to New Bedford’s Parking Problems

If you live or work in New Bedford, you're probably aware that it can be difficult to find parking throughout various parts of the city.

More often than not, I find myself searching for a spot to park outside of my own house without having to walk three blocks. Some days are convenient while others are rather annoying.

What tends to happen is someone leaves early, exposing an available parking spot or two, and it doesn't get filled in the proper way. This leaves the car that never moved to seem out of sorts as if it were taking up multiple spots. Even traveling throughout the city, I notice double parking all the time.

Luckily, I might have a solution to those who struggle with parking.

One Sunday, while visiting Edgartown over on Martha's Vineyard, I spotted something so simple, so effective, that I was shocked the City of New Bedford and surrounding SouthCoast communities haven't adapted to it yet: painted, spaced parking spots along the side of the streets.

Anyone who is familiar with Edgartown knows that the streets are narrow and the town is very busy. This alone makes parking hard to find on major holidays and throughout the summertime, but for some reason, I have always found parking and I'm almost positive it had to do with assigned public parking spots.

Every other spot can have a larger spot for trucks and larger SUVs to fit, but for the most part, an average-sized space should be adequate enough to make this idea work. It's time to think with our noggins, people, and become more efficient when it comes to parking in a large and busy city such as New Bedford.

As for when the snow hits the area – well, that's a whole other story and battle within itself. So prepare for that, but also think of the seasons where these lines can really be really effective.

Hey, it's just a thought.