Parking Rate Changes Go Into Effect

How are your daily parking plans affected? Find out here.

If you notice a little pain at the parking meters today, that's because new rates and enforcement hours for on-street meters, parking lots and garages went into effect on July 2 per the new parking plan. Here's a breakdown on what the new prices are. The following is courtesy of the City of Salem website. On-Street Parking (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.)     •    $1.50 on Federal, Lynde, and Church streets     •    $0.75 through most of downtown     •    $0.50 on Dodge, Lafayette, and Congress streets Parking Lots with Four-Hour Max (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.)     •    $1 per hour: Church Street West, Church Street East, and Salem Green     •    $0.75 per hour: Sewall Street, Front Street, and Klop Alley     •    $0.50 per hour: Riley Plaza West and Riley Plaza…

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Letter to the Editor

LETTER: Chamber of Commerce Weighs in on Parking Changes

Executive Director Rinus Oosthoek lauds city for its efforts, asks businesses to do their part to make parking work.

The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by Rinus Oosthoek, Executive Director of the Salem Chamber of Commerce. To the Editor: Have you been in downtown Salem lately? Have you noticed the new parking meters being installed, incorrect signage being replaced, handicapped spaces being painted, and parking posters and brochures on display? These are just the latest in a series of improvements to the downtown parking system. As was reported in May, the first change was a drop in the hourly rate of $1.50 to $0.75 in the Downtown Garage and $0.25 in the Waterfront Garage. These changes are the result of a three-year effort to study, develop, and implement a dynamic, new comprehensive parking system to serve the diverse needs of people …

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Steve's Market Wins Fight Over Parking Meters

Mayor agrees as Council committee votes to stop installation of four-hour meters on Margin and Gedney streets.

The popular Steve's Quality Market and neighboring businesses won a victory in the Salem parking wars Monday night. Besieged by more than 4,000 signatures on a petition against putting in four-hour parking meters in front of the market, the mayor and a city council committee put a stop to the meters at the market and nearby businesses, including the U.S. Post Office. “The community has spoken,” said Tom Daniel, the city's economic development manager, who headed the parking study task force. “The poles (for the new meters) need to come out. We will tell the contractor.” The city's new parking plan is in the process of being implemented. New smart meters and smart computer software for the parking garages are expected to be installed by the…

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Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: 4-Hr. Meters on Gedney/Margin Still an Issue

The city council committee meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday to discuss the issue.

To the Editor: Only the City Council, which passed the Ordinance on the Comprehensive Parking Plan, has the power to revise it. A patrons’ petition on behalf of the businesses on, not just Margin St., but also Gedney St. which runs alongside Steve’s Market, Steve’s Quality Liquors, Salon L’Ondina, New Life Barbershop, North Shore Driving School, and Extra Effort Personal Trainers, now has over 4,000 signatures. The petition requests the City Council to revise the Parking Ordinance to eliminate all four-hour meters adjacent to these businesses. I own a small building on Gedney St. that I bought and renovated in 1994.  A responsible, tax-paying businessman, I maintain the building in excellent condition. In one of its spaces, I run Salon L’…

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chester suchecki

6:45 am on Friday, May 18, 2012

put meters on the main streets around salemstate and collect on that gold mine.   more ›

Mayor Asks Council to Nix Meters at Steve's Quality Market

Driscoll also asks council to reconsider plans for meters at post office.

Mayor Kimberley Driscoll is recommending the city refrain from installing parking meters in front of the Post Office and Steve's Quality Market. The recommendation to the city council comes after vocal opposition from some city councilors, the owners of Steve's Quality Market and more than 3,000 residents who signed a petition protesting the city's plan to replace 15-minute parking signs by the store with four-hour parking meters. This spring, the city began implementing a new comprehensive parking plan that the council approved last June. Developed by a group of various city stakeholders, it was designed to create 15 percent parking availability in the downtown area and "substantially decrease" parking garage costs, according to the mayor…

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J. Burns

10:34 pm on Friday, April 20, 2012

John,only two meters on Margin St.might be removed. All other meters proposed for Steve;s, Quality Liquors, and other stores on Gedney St are still ordered. Talk to Peter and Ann at Steve's. When the reporter from Salem News called Peter, Peter misunderstood -he thought at first all meters along his and other adjacent stores were nixed. Not so.   more ›

Council to Consider Banning 4-Hour Meters at Steve's Quality Market

Mayor Driscoll urges council to wait 90 days to give the new parking plan time to educate parkers.

Going against the request of Mayor Kimberley Driscoll to give the new parking plan 90 days before making changes, the City Council voted Thursday night to take up the issue of parking meters near Steve's Quality Market and the U.S. Post Office. Steve's Quality Market at 36 Margin St., which was called “a Salem icon,” is opposed to replacing signs that limit parking to 15 minutes in spaces in front and beside the store with four-hour parking meters. The market owners have been collecting signatures that as of Thursday night totalled more than 3,100 signatures. Ward 2 Councilor Michael Sosnowski pointed out that the number of signatures on the petition was more than all of those 2,957 people who voted in the last city election. “If I have …

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LETTER: A Message from the Mayor's Office on the Parking Plan

Parking will be discussed Thursday evening at the City Council meeting.

The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by the Mayor's Office: "The City of Salem is in the midst of implementing several changes to downtown parking as part of a comprehensive plan that was developed, reviewed and recommended by both the City Council/Mayor and a collective group of downtown stakeholders, including residents, business owners, tourist attractions, patrons, downtown employees, etc. The recommendations started with a foundation of data about how many parking spaces exist in downtown Salem; how well spaces are utilized throughout the day; an inventory of the myriad of parking rules, regulations and costs that exist with respect to our parking structure and a survey/questionnaire regarding parking needs and wants. I …

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UPDATED: Steve's Quality Market Fighting City Hall Over Parking Meters

Councilor Sosnowski says he will ask the Council on Thursday to stop installation of 'ridiculous' meters.

Steve's Quality Market at 36 Margin St. has collected almost 3,000 signatures in opposition to plans by the city of Salem to replace signs that limit parking to 15 minutes in spaces in front and beside the store with four-hour parking meters. “We are humbled and overwhelmed at the response,” said Jodie Fenton, who is part of the family that has owned the market for more than 100 years. “People who are not even customers come in and ask to sign the petition.” She said the market started the petition drive because “All we want to do is stay in business.” Fenton said she believes that the number of signatures on the petition should force the City Council to consider changing the parking plan near the store, neighboring stores and the nearby U…

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J. Burns

12:32 am on Tuesday, April 17, 2012

A petition is now available for signature at Kusko Bistro which has exactly that need. The Steve's Market and other Gedney Street businesses' petitions are approaching 4,000 signatures. Anyone who wishes can sign up for the eventual public hearing on the parking meter issue at any of these businesses.   more ›

City Starts Installing Smart Parking Meters

Installation started today.

The following press release is courtesy of the City of Salem. CITY INSTALLING CONVENIENT SMART PARKING METERS The City of Salem continues to move forward with making parking more convenient. As part of the City of Salem’s initiative to make enhancements to the downtown parking system, on Feb. 24 and 27, the City will install 50 smart meters. Smart meters add the convenience of paying by credit card while allowing people to still pay with coins. Mayor Kimberley Driscoll stated, “After an intensive study and engagement process, last year the City Council approved changes to the downtown parking system. During that approval process, we heard from residents, customers, and shop owners who said they’d like to have more convenient payment …

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You Ask...Patch Answers

What's the Deal with Parking at Great Escape?

What's the deal? Can people park in the semi-circle lot or not?

You Ask...Patch Answers is back. We've heard murmurings about the Great Escape parking situation since the restaurant opened. Last week, reader CL had a bunch of questions ready for contributor Tyler Twombly who hit the streets to find some answers. "I am wondering what the deal is with the parking in front of the Great Escape restaurant," CL writes. "It was my understanding that people were not to be parking in that circle/sidewalk area in front of the building, but cars seem to always be parked there anyway. Am I wrong? The area is very badly lit and I know a lot of people who walk home from the commuter rail and have nearly been hit by cars backing out. If parking is allowed in that area, why is it allowed to be so badly lit? If parking…

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