Parked at a bus stop? Better get out your wallet

There is a bus stop in Brighton at the corner of Comm. Ave and Washinton St. that does not have any signs saying it is a bus stop. So of course people park there and it happens to be a prime spot for elderly and disabled riders since there is an assisted living home across the street. So maybe before handing out tickets to people parked there, signage should be placed so people know they are illegally parked.

Well the fines would be great if the transit police actually wrote tickets for this. I called them once in regards to this and they didn't even care. Plus they were extremely rude when I told them that cars were parked at a bus stop in Fields Corner in Dorchester.

As long as the T drivers actually pull to the curb and not stop in the middle of the street. Or even worse, pull back out into traffic, often taking up two lanes, without regard for the other traffic on the road. I wish the Governor was as proactive about halting the practice by cab drivers in Boston of stopping in moving traffic to pick-up or drop-off a fair. It creates more traffic problems in downtown than any other traffic issue.

You'd make a killing in South Boston...but oh right. They are untouchable over there. No tickets for parking in a bus stop area. No ticket for parking in front of a sidewalk ramp that I'm sure a wheelchair bound person would like to use but can't because Tony's cadillac is parked there. No ticket for double parking. And of course, no tickets for leaving your lawn chair out in your shoveled parking spot three weeks after it snowed.

They hardly pull up to the curb anyway, they drop off passengers in the road and tie up traffic!

what about off-duty Boston police officers that park in these spaces and then leave their ticket book on the front dash??

Now, if only the buses would actually pull over into the bus stop.

Finally - I am tired of almost getting run over waiting for the bus. Now just add more #9 & #10 busses to South Boston and we have a deal.

I think this is a great idea, if the buses actually use them. No need for bus stops if the buses take up the entire lane anyways when loading and unloading.

Why the buses I ride, or get caught driving behind, never seem to pull to the curb.

Read: The state is poor and needs to pad their budgets and wallets somehow. Increased fines aren't meant to act a deterrent. They're meant to double the income for a particular violation.

Bravo!
Now if the state would just use nor-plant to control the pregnancy of people on public assistance, we'd be on the right track.

I hate when people park in bus stops. I don't care if its only for 30 seconds. Its not only rude and dangerous for passengers, but bad for traffic and the environment as the bus is forced to stop in the middle of the street. This causes traffic delays, idling and a waste of gas, and a dangerous situation as some drivers cross over the double yellow lines and try to pass the bus.

The problem is that I never see this enforced. Nothing ever happens to anyone parked in the bus stops. If only the police or BTD drove through Centre St. in JP any evening, they could raise a lot of money to help pay for road repairs, police, traffic enforcement, etc.

Its about time. South Boston residents are notorious for parking in bus stops. I don't care if your cousin lives across the street or you are running in to get a coffee. A bus stop is for the bus.

That's great but the problem is MBTA bus drivers don't pull into the stops even when they are open. Full retirement after 22 years and turning the wheel is just too much.

This is great, but even when stops aren't blocked MANY bus drivers won't stop at the curb. I commute daily on the #66, and the bus almost never comes to the curb, even when there is no snow, etc. blocking the way. (Oh, yeah - while you're at it, Dan, could you do sometihing about getting bus stops dug out ASAP after a snowstorm? I had a horrible time getting off the 66 in Coolidge Corner and then trying to board again at the same stop - the entire stop was blocked by a foot-high wall of frozen snow.)

Delivery trucks think they're exempt if they keep their engines running.

I believe this law actually gives Tranisit Police the Authority to write the tickets.

There should be a system where bus drivers have to report to a central office whenever they are on their route and a car/truck is parked in the bus stop. In JP there are always people parked in stops, and I am sure many other neighborhoods. If the bus drivers were reporting all these and then central office would send a ticketer to ticket the criminal, people would quickly stop.

What's the point, busses don't use them. They stop in the middle of the street and let the passengers walk to the curb. Oh wait a minute, it's not passengers they are worried about, it is just another way to pick your pockets

My disabled stepfather calls to complain about cars parked in the bus stop by the Pleasant Cafe on Washington St. in Roslindale about once per month. One day last year, after a call, he asked me to check if there were still cars parking there. As I got off of the bus that afternoon I had to laugh--there was an unattended Boston Police car parked in the bus stop (as were 2 other cars, as usual). The Police were no where to be seen. I could only assume a double pepperoni was to blame.

And let's hope it applies to the city trucks and delivery vans in Central Square that are constantly in the bus stops!

That would be fine if the bus actually pulled into the bus stop, but they don't they pull up as far away from the curb as they possibly can so they can dart right back out into traffic. This of course blocks traffic from passing. So why shouldn't people park in the bus stop if the bus isnt using it.

By the way I drive daily havent taken a bus in 20 years but I do ride behind them and they never pull into the curb designed for them.

This law was passed without the benefit of a quorum I believe. How can that be? It needs to be challenged. Will the Globe investigate?

Great ! the law is the law, everyone should follow it.

it might be a good idea to first instruct the bus drivers on how to use a bus stop. I often see them stop in the street when the bus stop is wide open, or only pull halfway in, which leaves them still blocking traffic.

In three years of commuting on the bus (going past both a hospital and an assisted living home) I've seen only two wheelchairs. I don't think it's fair for Grabauskas to use the disabled as a reason for this change. The only meaningful reason for this change might be to keep buses from obstructing traffic when they stop.

That is so ridiculous. Tell the bus drivers to actually pull OFF the street into the bus stop and then have the nerve to increase the fine.!

The bus drivers don't even go to the curb when they are aked to. They make just a big deal about it.

It is true that more often than not - bus drivers fail to pull over to the bus stops whether they are blocked or not. Drivers in traffic behind the offending bus not only are held up by the obstruction - but many passengers getting off of the bus seem to think they automatically have the right of way to cross the street before the bus even pulls away (no crosswalks involved). Perhaps the average driver will strive to obey the rules when bus drivers and pedestrians do the same.

Thats right people! More ways to pick your pockets! Buses never pull to the curb in S Boston and the bus zone is 4 parking spaces long. Its a waste of parking spots. At least 2 of them at each end could be spots. Put some time,attention and money to something better like fixing GIANT potholes like the one over by andrews square. Its rediculous!!!!!!!

People complaining about buses not pulling to the curb...

Outside of Boston, this is encouraged and the curbs are brought out to the bus. Should two drivers be inconvenienced for 30 seconds while passengers load, or should 20 bus riders be inconvenienced when their bus cant pull back into traffic?

If I park a a bus stop and my car gets towed who do I call