No Parking My Ass

The City of Boston has done it again -- another boneheaded move for me to add to my list. Parking has been restricted on certain streets surround Fenway Park during the playoff games. I have nothing against parking restrictions in areas near such an event. However, there is an additional restriction over a mile and a half from the park, right around the corner from my apartment, where I have to park my car (sometimes in a driveway, sometimes on the street).

This is obviously a preventative effort to avoid the types of fan "celebration" that took place last year at this time and when the Patriots won the Superbowl. Rather than place this restriction on historical hotspots such as Kenmore Square (not on the list) and the Northeastern campus (no streets on the list), the insightful City of Boston decided to put a stranglehold on an area that has been relatively peaceful when it comes to big local team wins. Other bar areas such as Canal Street or Quincy Market area aren't listed either.

Maybe I'm just complaining because I hate looking for parking spaces, and this will cause a crush on all side streets, but I really feel this restriction is pointless and insulting to the residents and visitors to the Allston/Brighton neighborhood. Greater measures should be taken long before playoff series and the like by the City, police, and universities to curb this type of behavior and promote a fun and energetic, car-flipping-free atmosphere.

Streets unrelated to the Boston Marathon aren't blocked off, even though everyone starts drinking at 11am. People throw up green beer by 3pm on St. Patrick's day, but still, no parking restrictions in Brighton.

This Patriot Act mentality of preventing something before it only barely MIGHT happen that has been growing ever since Janet Jackson showed us her nipple is getting more and more disturbing as the year goes on.

I guess I can look forward to a police-state whenever there's a playoff game.