Every winter, Newton imposes a citywide overnight parking ban, supposedly to ensure efficient snow removal and public safety. Yet year after year, I’ve seen City-owned vehicles parked overnight on Homer Street — violating the ban they’re tasked with enforcing. When the City breaks its own rules, residents have every right to question the ban’s fairness and necessity.
The inconsistency undermines trust in local government. Residents face fines for violations, while City trucks sit untouched. Such double standards send a clear message: this policy is more about convenience than community safety. If the City cannot uphold its own regulation, how can it expect citizens to respect it?
Beyond fairness, the ban imposes real burdens. Many Newton residents — especially renters and homeowners without driveways — struggle each winter to find legal places to park. During the 2020–2021 trial period when the city suspended the ban, there were no reports of significant snow removal or safety issues. Even Mayor Fuller’s October 2023 newsletter confirmed that Newton “had no problems that winter with the parking ban lifted.”
Some argue that ending the ban might make Newton “too attractive” and drive up property values. That reasoning borders on absurd. We shouldn’t accept inefficient, inequitable policies simply to make the city less desirable.
This November, voters have the opportunity to repeal an outdated and unfair ordinance. Let’s restore common sense, equity, and trust in local government by ending Newton’s winter parking ban once and for all.
Keith Salustro
Newton Centre
