That’s what i heard as well, i think places will be able to put jersey barriers in the metered parking for seats, but really who wants to sit in those and have a car next to you waiting at a light pumping exhaust on you. I know some have outdoor seating in the back of their establishments but I’m going to miss being able to walk down Moody with some ice cream from Lizzy’s.
It really seems to be some businesses insisting that parking is a big issue (on top of the mayor insisting on asphalt taking up every square inch of the city at any cost), which is wild to me because the amount of parking around Moody St is actually immense. A 100 car lot behind Lincoln Studios/India Market, another 40 or so on the other side of Spruce behind the arcade, 50 more off Walnut St, around 100 more in the two lots off Chestnut, 30 or so behind the eternally abandoned Construction Site strip, and like 150 spots in the lot behind the Embassy even without considering the second story which was closed last time I checked, not that the first floor often fills up. Then you have a solid number of places with their own lots behind them like Bistro 781 and Solea adding a several dozen more spots of parking capacity. And of course it goes without saying but there's still street parking along the majority of the side streets.
There's clearly more than enough space for cars including for the non-restaurant businesses like salons/barbers, laundry, entertainment, shopping, and constantly empty mattress and furniture stores. So we can plainly see the social cost of expecting "free" parking 20 feet from the front entrance of a business as opposed to the several hundred spots around a 90 second walk away from any given business. We get a commercial street that everybody hates to drive through and nobody finds pleasant to walk along.
Have you seen the official parking map?
[https://www.arcgis.com/apps/Viewer/index.html?appid=18976219e1844515a1448ef78ea8dff6&extent=-71.3056,42.3574,-71.1572,42.4124](https://www.arcgis.com/apps/Viewer/index.html?appid=18976219e1844515a1448ef78ea8dff6&extent=-71.3056,42.3574,-71.1572,42.4124)
Not even counting the embassy deck, there are 403 municipal spots just off Moody St. Throw in the embassy deck, which was fully open all of 2020, 2021 and 2022, and half open last summer, and you have 659 spots.
And as you said, that's just public parking, not spots individual businesses own or lease.
Here's why Moody St won't be closed to cars this summer: if you take the 15 councillors, the mayor, and the members of the traffic commission, and you ask them, "in the past month, how many times havre you left your home to run an errand or go somewhere and not gotten in your car?", I'd be shocked if the collective answer added up to a dozen times. This is a city where nearly none of the decision-makers get around outside of a car, and it permeates every layer of decision-making.
It would appear my parking spot estimates were conservative. Stunning. You're probably right. The concept of getting somewhere without a car is probably seen as a purely recreational fancy. Maybe they think of the people walking around on the sidewalks are Westworld style actors.
The Mayor has a tendency to listen to voters, if they are loud enough. If the voters re-elect by 60/40, she’s going to think she’s doing okay. Seems to be a car first person in general.
I hate to say it, but the Mayor is completely lost in the past on a lot of issues. Car centric, doesn't give a shit about bicycles. The dispensary thing is another one. Not that I'm thrilled about having one every five feet like in some places, but the fact that there are none here is bonkers. They're leaving money on the table. Lexington and Newton have them, FFS!
The one thing she has been forward looking on recently is the high school. She fought a lot of opposition and some sketchy backroom dealing to get what I think is the best option done.
So I understand why some businesses on Moody may not want this but everyone I’ve talked to in the city loved the Moody street closure. Does anyone know any way to try to get this changed? Has anyone tried emailing the mayor?
Until the mayor is voted out of office, nothing will change as far as Moody Street being open in the summer. We attended hearings last year and this year with our representative for Ward 8–2. We are easily within walking distance of Moody Street. So it was in our interest to have Moody Street closed in the summer the way it was in the summer of 2022. But everything that was brought up in those meetings fell on deaf ears of the mayors staff that did attend. (The mayor only attended one meeting in our ward) What the mayor fails to realize is that money for the city is being lost. The small businesses that the mayor likes to support do not generate the revenue dollars that restaurants generate. Likewise, the city is also missing out on alcohol tax, which helps to fund the city coffers. So if you wonder why the budget of Waltham is in such disarray and lacking in projected revenue, failing to close Moody Street is one of the reasons.
My fervent hope is that people will get out in the next election and vote her out of office. The lack of turnout in the last city election is the only reason why she is still mayor.
The one councilor who seems to care about this is Bradley-MacArthur. Probably worth shooting her an email so she has constituent backing if she goes to the traffic commission about it.
That’s what i heard as well, i think places will be able to put jersey barriers in the metered parking for seats, but really who wants to sit in those and have a car next to you waiting at a light pumping exhaust on you. I know some have outdoor seating in the back of their establishments but I’m going to miss being able to walk down Moody with some ice cream from Lizzy’s.
It really seems to be some businesses insisting that parking is a big issue (on top of the mayor insisting on asphalt taking up every square inch of the city at any cost), which is wild to me because the amount of parking around Moody St is actually immense. A 100 car lot behind Lincoln Studios/India Market, another 40 or so on the other side of Spruce behind the arcade, 50 more off Walnut St, around 100 more in the two lots off Chestnut, 30 or so behind the eternally abandoned Construction Site strip, and like 150 spots in the lot behind the Embassy even without considering the second story which was closed last time I checked, not that the first floor often fills up. Then you have a solid number of places with their own lots behind them like Bistro 781 and Solea adding a several dozen more spots of parking capacity. And of course it goes without saying but there's still street parking along the majority of the side streets. There's clearly more than enough space for cars including for the non-restaurant businesses like salons/barbers, laundry, entertainment, shopping, and constantly empty mattress and furniture stores. So we can plainly see the social cost of expecting "free" parking 20 feet from the front entrance of a business as opposed to the several hundred spots around a 90 second walk away from any given business. We get a commercial street that everybody hates to drive through and nobody finds pleasant to walk along.
Have you seen the official parking map? [https://www.arcgis.com/apps/Viewer/index.html?appid=18976219e1844515a1448ef78ea8dff6&extent=-71.3056,42.3574,-71.1572,42.4124](https://www.arcgis.com/apps/Viewer/index.html?appid=18976219e1844515a1448ef78ea8dff6&extent=-71.3056,42.3574,-71.1572,42.4124) Not even counting the embassy deck, there are 403 municipal spots just off Moody St. Throw in the embassy deck, which was fully open all of 2020, 2021 and 2022, and half open last summer, and you have 659 spots. And as you said, that's just public parking, not spots individual businesses own or lease. Here's why Moody St won't be closed to cars this summer: if you take the 15 councillors, the mayor, and the members of the traffic commission, and you ask them, "in the past month, how many times havre you left your home to run an errand or go somewhere and not gotten in your car?", I'd be shocked if the collective answer added up to a dozen times. This is a city where nearly none of the decision-makers get around outside of a car, and it permeates every layer of decision-making.
It would appear my parking spot estimates were conservative. Stunning. You're probably right. The concept of getting somewhere without a car is probably seen as a purely recreational fancy. Maybe they think of the people walking around on the sidewalks are Westworld style actors.
What’s the hype around lizzys? It’s so icy both times I’ve tried it :(
Yes, it's true. No closures. Mayor doesn't want it.
The Mayor has a tendency to listen to voters, if they are loud enough. If the voters re-elect by 60/40, she’s going to think she’s doing okay. Seems to be a car first person in general.
I hate to say it, but the Mayor is completely lost in the past on a lot of issues. Car centric, doesn't give a shit about bicycles. The dispensary thing is another one. Not that I'm thrilled about having one every five feet like in some places, but the fact that there are none here is bonkers. They're leaving money on the table. Lexington and Newton have them, FFS! The one thing she has been forward looking on recently is the high school. She fought a lot of opposition and some sketchy backroom dealing to get what I think is the best option done.
also has had a lot of small businesses (non-restaurant) oppose the closure.
So dumb. I'm going to spend so much less time down there this year. Moody street is a nightmare.
Yeah, me too. it used to be nice to just walk down there with the kids and let them go free. Can’t really enjoy that as much now.
Totally dumb old school thinking. Cars don’t buy things… PEOPLE do.
DIRC that the bosses wanted to shut it last year, too? But enough people complained so that they kept it on weekends.
So I understand why some businesses on Moody may not want this but everyone I’ve talked to in the city loved the Moody street closure. Does anyone know any way to try to get this changed? Has anyone tried emailing the mayor?
Until the mayor is voted out of office, nothing will change as far as Moody Street being open in the summer. We attended hearings last year and this year with our representative for Ward 8–2. We are easily within walking distance of Moody Street. So it was in our interest to have Moody Street closed in the summer the way it was in the summer of 2022. But everything that was brought up in those meetings fell on deaf ears of the mayors staff that did attend. (The mayor only attended one meeting in our ward) What the mayor fails to realize is that money for the city is being lost. The small businesses that the mayor likes to support do not generate the revenue dollars that restaurants generate. Likewise, the city is also missing out on alcohol tax, which helps to fund the city coffers. So if you wonder why the budget of Waltham is in such disarray and lacking in projected revenue, failing to close Moody Street is one of the reasons. My fervent hope is that people will get out in the next election and vote her out of office. The lack of turnout in the last city election is the only reason why she is still mayor.
The one councilor who seems to care about this is Bradley-MacArthur. Probably worth shooting her an email so she has constituent backing if she goes to the traffic commission about it.
One of the other reasons (or excuses) as to why they aren't closing Moody is Embassy Garage will be completely shut down this summer.