Newton's City Council voted 18-6 on Monday, Oct. 19, to let the Traffic Council exempt angled parking spots from the winter overnight ban.

The ordinance change, first reported by the Newton Beacon, gives the Traffic Council the power to exempt angled spaces from the ban that runs Dec. 1 through March 31, from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. The Traffic Council already had that authority for perpendicular spots, but only a small strip of Chestnut Street in Upper Falls has those.

Five locations with angled spots could now be exempted:

  • Albemarle Road in Newtonville
  • Washington Street in Newtonville
  • Beacon Street in Waban
  • Auburn Street in Auburndale
  • Commonwealth Avenue near Centre Street and Grant Avenue

Councilor Tarik Lucas, chair of the Public Safety and Transportation Committee (PST), brought the amendment forward. The PST Committee had approved it 6-1, with Councilor Randy Block opposed and Councilor Irish not voting, according to committee records.

The full council vote came after councilors took additional time to raise questions and draft amendments. Two proposals to narrow the ordinance failed.

Councilor Rena Getz proposed limiting the new exemption power to Albemarle Road only. She noted that some angled spots sit inside the Village Center Overlay District (VCOD), where both a working group and the PST Committee had agreed the ban should stay. That amendment was narrowly rejected.

Councilor Joshua Krintzman argued against the restriction, saying the change was small and that the City Council retains the right to hear appeals of Traffic Council decisions.

Block then proposed a broader amendment excluding all VCOD spots from the exemption. He withdrew it after Lucas said the Law Department had not vetted the language. Block voted against the final motion.

"I'm very disappointed that this council seems to want to just let the Traffic Council take some lead on this," Block said. He called the arrangement "chasing a tail" that would create extra work for the council.

The Traffic Council could act on the new authority in time for exemptions to take effect by Dec. 1. The PST Committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Room 205 to discuss a separate proposal to shorten the winter overnight parking ban, according to the committee's agenda.