Renting Private Street Parking In New Bedford and Fall River

What if you could rent a private parking space directly in front of your home in New Bedford or Fall River?

Living in an apartment in New Bedford or Fall River can make parking an adventure.  If you've ever lived in the city, you know the feeling all too well.  You've just come home from the grocery store, but you can't find a parking space within 100 yards of your door.  Repeated trips from the car - all the way to your kitchen and back again - over and over again.  It's moments like these that make you wish for off-street parking.  You don't want much.  You're certainly not asking for a garage, here.  You just want a little certainty in your life.  A little convenience, perhaps.  Yvonne Tobey, a New Bedford resident might just have the answer.

Earlier today, Yvonne posted this rhetorical question on Facebook:  "How about (New Bedford) rents me the parking space in front of my house?  Name your price!"  I chuckled when I read it, then I thought to myself, "Wait, why not?"  Why couldn't cities like New Bedford and Fall River charge residents a premium for renting a clearly marked parking space right in front of their homes?  Yvonne threw out the number $1000 per year/$20 per week.  We're thinking special parking signs/codes would have to be assigned to rented parking spaces.

I have to admit that I get a little irritated if someone is parked in front of my address.  I would remind myself that it was a public space...that I didn’t own the space.  And it just occurred to me that while I couldn’t own the space maybe I could rent it. A mini epiphany.  --Yvonne Tobey

Roger Monteiro had an interesting response to the idea.  "Pay me $1000 a year.  Whenever you park your car...I will meet you at your car and drive to your house.  When you need to leave I will pick you up and bring you to your car"  Do this with 30-40 people you are talking about $30,000 to $40,000 a year!

Think about what a game changer this would be when snowstorms hit.  No more space savers!  So, what do you think?  Would you pay for private street parking in New Bedford or Fall River?