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Are tickets cheaper than parking? Maybe not, but readers will risk it.
"The garage costs $40 so the parking ticket at $40 is a wash."
At $40 a ticket, Boston parking fines are steep but not much higher than the cost of parking in many neighborhoods across the city.
A recent post in the Boston subreddit had people debating whether it’s cheaper to park in the city or just pay the occasional fine. One user shared that a parking ticket in the Financial District was $4 less than it would have cost them to park in their office garage. Others offered similar anecdotes and shared the clever ways they’ve gotten around paying for parking in Boston.
So, when it comes to paying to park or running the risk of getting a ticket, are drivers willing to take the gamble? Our readers said no.
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We asked Boston.com readers to weigh in on the debate and tell us if they’d rather pay to park or take the ticket and of the 257 people who responded to the survey, 37% said they’d never risk it. However, more readers are willing to take their chances. A combined 155 readers said they’ve risked the ticket rather than pay for parking in Boston at least once. Eighteen percent of readers polled said they do it all the time.
Do you ever just risk the ticket in Boston, rather than pay for parking?
Yes, all the time
18%
Yes, sometimes
25%
Very rarely
18%
No, never
37%
Other
2%
If you’re lucky, risking the ticket will save you money, but some readers want you to know that you’re inconveniencing your fellow Bostonians in the process.
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“As someone with a parking permit, I loathe the monsters that take up resident spots in my neighborhood just to save time or money. We end up circling the streets for literal hours trying to find a spot,” said Ahmed from Fenway.
Instead, S.C. from East Boston said, drivers should just pay for parking in advance with the ParkBoston app.
“Way cheaper, way safer, and you don’t have to feel like a cheat,” he said.
Easy parking is notoriously hard to come by in Boston and neighboring cities and that likely won’t change anytime soon as city officials push to prioritize walkability and housing over parking — a move Boston.com readers have said more than once they’re in favor of.
The upshot of that limited parking and risky maneuvers to get off without a ticket. Mike H. from the North End said he’s been evading parking tickets with the help of his valet.
“I tip my valet guy 10 bucks a day to move my car every hour. Been four years and not one ticket. He often swaps it with others he does it for,” he said. “Since you went public with your article and everyone knows, I might as well fill [you] all in. I bet his rate just went to a 20-buck tip, thanks.”
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We also asked readers to share their experiences parking in Boston. Unsurprisingly, there was no shortage of anecdotes from frustrated drivers. Below, you’ll find a sampling of responses from readers sharing their unfortunate experiences with street parking along with a couple of lucky finds.
Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
‘I risk it more than I pay’
“I have a resident permit for Beacon Hill and I get tickets in my neighborhood all the time as there are simply not enough legal spots for residents. The resident stickers are free and they do ticket those without those stickers, but I end up getting tickets all the time because I had to park somewhere I knew was illegal because I circled the neighborhood for 40 minutes and couldn’t find a legal spot. Every day I play the ‘What flavor of illegal parking should I do today?’ game. I end up being too close to a crosswalk, a fire hydrant, a construction zone, etc pretty often. The alternative is buying a spot in Boston Commons for $400 a month. I know Back Bay and Bay Village and many other neighborhoods also experience this too.” — Paige C., Beacon Hill
“I’m a union ironworker. The two-hour parking limits make it really hard to get out and pay or move. So I risk it more than I pay. I have a lot of unpaid parking tickets. We are there making Boston a better city and we get screwed. We work hard for a living and it ends up costing us hours of pay if we pay or not.” — John S., Boston
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“I once parked in a no parking zone outside of the Boston Architectural College on Newbury Street so I could run in and pick up a model in the lobby. I was in the building for no more than five minutes and I got a ticket. Nonetheless, I’ve taken my chances around Post Office Square. The garage costs $40 so the parking ticket at $40 is a wash. I feed the meter periodically to improve my odds.” — Jack, Lynn
‘There really should be a 15-minute grace period’
“I was at a two-hour meter. I came back to put more money in the meter and still received a parking ticket. It said I had stayed past the allowed time. I was unaware that if I stayed longer than the two-hour limit WITH money in the meter, I would receive a parking ticket! That’s Boston for you!” — Carol, Brookline
“I once had to pick up my younger brother at the Aquarium after he wasn’t feeling well on a field trip so I was in a hurry and couldn’t find any parking nearby. I saw parking next to the waterfront and pulled in. I parked for less than 5 minutes as the teacher met me near the garage entrance, and when I pulled out of the garage, the fee was $30. I pleaded with the attendant and told him about the situation and he informed me that they round up to the hour regardless of how quickly I had been in and out. There really should be a 15-minute grace period for people who need to drop off or pick someone up in certain areas where there is little to no street parking.” — Kat, Salem
‘I wasn’t disturbing traffic or parking illegally’
“I work down at the Garden. During playoffs, I parked in the street, and put money in the meter, with the intent to get back to my car to add more money later. I went on to work and came back to find my car had not one but two parking tickets within one minute of each other. TWO! Is that even legal? Extremely frustrated! I was not trying to beat the system, just trying to work. $80 total.” — Jess
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“Once I went for dinner in Somerville. It was rainy and dark, and I managed to park in an allotted park space at Bow Street, right on the corner which was challenging due to constant traffic. I paid for the meter and, to my big surprise, I got a ticket because my car was facing the sidewalk, instead of facing the street. A $50 ticket because I faced the wrong direction, even though the sign was not clear and I wasn’t disturbing traffic or parking illegally. So infuriating.” — Fernanda C., Somerville
“A couple of years ago I parked in the parking lot on Sudbury Street for one of my friends’ shows at McGann’s Irish Pub. Admittedly, at the time it was under construction. Nevertheless, it was open and in operation. The fee was $40 for ‘event parking’ despite me only needing the space for two to three hours at most. I was already looking for spots but I didn’t see one. I looked up and down two or three times. No one was leaving, and no spots were open. Eventually, my friend’s show was going to start, so I bailed and went to the exit. I was still charged $40 for the 15 mins. I combed the lot.
I was trapped in the lot unless I paid, but I thought it was ridiculous that I couldn’t find a spot. Half of the parking lot was under construction. So the ‘open spaces’ were all filled with construction equipment. I would have been ticketed for improper parking in a lot I had paid to park in.” — Tim B., Newton
‘The parking gods were smiling upon me’
“I once found the last parking spot on Comm Ave. by Hotel Buckminster before a Red Sox game. The meter was in effect for one more hour. Out of quarters, I decided it was cheaper to pay for any potential ticket than parking. Sure enough, one hour lapsed and no ticket was on the windshield. Ideal parking outside Fenway for free? The parking gods were smiling upon me, but I’ve never been so lucky again.” — T.C., Maynard
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“After the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series [in 2004], me and my buddies drove from college into Boston and parked our car on a random sidewalk before running into the mass of celebrating fans, losing our foreign exchange student friend from Japan in the process. One to two hours later we returned to our car which had no parking ticket. Our foreign exchange student was there sitting on the hood, though!” — Eric C., Salem
Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion
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