T boom brings parking hassles

More commuters complain about lack of available spots

(Photos by David Kamerman/Globe Staff) In Concord, the manager of Crosby's Marketplace near the Concord commuter rail station says commuters looking for parking have spread into spots reserved for store customers and employees. The MBTA says it is conducting a $150 million rehabilitation of the Fitchburg line, which includes stops in Acton, Ayer, Belmont, Concord (above), Littleton, and Shirley, and will examine parking issues as part of the upgrades.

As the price of gas rose in leaps and bounds, more commuters ditched their cars and started taking the train to work.

But the increased ridership along the Fitchburg commuter rail line is also exacerbating parking woes in many communities north and west of Boston.

In Concord, the manager of a private lot has called in police to help monitor parking because commuters are taking over spots reserved for nearby business customers and employees. New signs were installed recently warning commuters that illegally parked cars would be towed.

In Ayer, increased train ridership and inadequate parking are forcing commuters to leave their vehicles on side streets as well as main thoroughfares - anywhere they can find an open spot. And in Acton, town officials are thinking seriously about a state suggestion to add more parking.

"We're looking at an offer the state has proposed to build a [parking] deck, and in many ways it makes sense," said Lauren Rosenzweig, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen. "With the gas prices, if you're driving in every day, it's a big chunk of change and the train offers a much less expensive alternative."

Ridership numbers for the Fitchburg line in July, the latest available, were the highest since the beginning of the year, according to the MBTA. While the numbers have fluctuated month to month, there has been a steady increase, from 224,100 riders in February to 244,004 in July. In addition to stops in Acton, Ayer, and Concord, the 50-mile-long line from Fitchburg to North Station also has stations in Belmont, Cambridge, Leominster, Lincoln, Littleton, Shirley, Weston, and Waltham.

Rosenzweig said her town has heard from commuters complaining about lack of parking spots, which are invariably filled by the time the 7:18 a.m. express train rolls in. She said she's heard that more commuters are being dropped off by friends and spouses because of the dearth of parking.

"Only the people who get there the earliest can find a space," she said, adding that the town should consider building the deck to accommodate the nearly 900 people who get on the train in Acton each weekday.

However, any such structure would take years to complete and parking is a problem now, she said. The town is considering a shuttle service to a satellite lot. But nothing has been set in stone, and the town recently hired a consultant to look into different options.

In Ayer, plans for a 350-car parking lot are slowly coming together, said Town Administrator Shaun Suhoski.

The initiative also hasn't been without controversy, as some people in town have been pushing for a large regional transportation station out near Interstate 495, with plenty of parking, rather than increased parking downtown.

Suhoski said the parking lot has already been five years in the planning stages. The state and federal governments have set aside about $5 million for the construction project, he said. The Montachusett Regional Transit Authority hopes to complete an assessment of the project by February, and design and construction would take about a year and a half to complete.

In the meantime, though, Suhoski said parking problems are only getting worse.

He said a state lot currently provides 80 spaces for commuter parking, and the Nashua River Rail Trail and the town share an additional 22 spots - not nearly enough for the roughly 425 riders who get on in Ayer each weekday.

Commuters are parking on side streets and Main Street, eating up spaces that would otherwise be used for customers visiting downtown stores, said Suhoski.

"They'll park wherever they can," he said. "If we can move the commuters to a structure parking, it will open it up for the merchants and the residents."

Commuter Patrick Hughes lives a half-mile from the Ayer stop and walks to the train when the weather is nice. But come January, he said he'll be among those searching for a spot.

"The parking is clearly a problem," Hughes said. "The difference in Ayer is we have a plan and there is significant money for it. Why aren't we breaking ground?"

Suhoski said the Ayer stop has the highest number of walk-up riders on the line and a significant number of drop-offs. One-third of the riders who board the train in Ayer live in town, while the rest come from nearby communities such as Townsend, Pepperell, Groton, and Dunstable.

"Ridership is going up, and we're trying to address a need now," he said. "We need more trains, more service, and more parking."

John Cummings, manager of Crosby's Marketplace on Sudbury Road near the Concord commuter rail station, said he started noticing more commuters looking for parking over the summer. Crosby's manages a private lot for employees and customers of several businesses. In addition, 78 parking spots are reserved for commuters. That arrangement has worked well in the past, said Cummings, but in July, commuters started using spaces reserved for the stores.

About 540 riders get on in Concord every weekday. Ridership numbers along the line rose about 12,500 from June to July, according to the MBTA. "Generally, it's the slowest time of year because of vacations, so we knew if it was filling up quickly then, it would only get worse," Cummings said.

He said police have been monitoring the lot and new signs were put up last month warning that vehicles parked outside the designated commuter spaces will be towed. The store has also placed warning notices on some cars but hasn't resorted to towing anyone yet.

The parking situation is bound to get worse before it improves. The MBTA is conducting a $150 million rehabilitation of the Fitchburg line, with the first phase of work scheduled to begin by the end of this year.

MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the project will initially focus on railroad operation improvements, including track and signal upgrades, to shorten trip times between Fitchburg and Porter Square in Cambridge. "As work on the project advances, commuter parking issues will be examined," he said by e-mail.

Pesaturo said about eight years ago, the MBTA and the Lowell Regional Transit Authority had expressed interest in expanding parking in Acton by constructing a deck over the existing lot, but the town did not pursue the idea.

Jennifer Fenn Lefferts can be reached at jflefferts@yahoo.com.