City Doubles Meter Prices

In an effort to free up parking spaces for patrons of local stores and restaurants, the city of Cambridge has just made it a little costlier to park a car in Harvard Square.

A notice on the city’s website announced that the parking meter rates in both Harvard and Kendall Squares will double next week; the 25 cents that currently buy a half hour will soon only be worth a 15-minute stint.

Executive Director of the Harvard Square Business Association Denise A. Jillson said that the decision resulted from ongoing discussions regarding parking in the square, especially in light of recent construction.

Some businesses have expressed concerns about workers who would keep cars in the Square and feed the meters all day.

“That’s not the intended purpose of the meters,” she said. “We wanted more spaces for people to come and dine or shop.”

Director of the Cambridge Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Department Susan E. Clippinger said she hopes that the price increase will encourage short-term parking, the primary purpose of meters in the Square.

Clippinger also said that Cambridge will be utilizing other projects—such as additional spaces for bicycle parking—that encourage the use of other alternative means of transportation.

Despite the potential boon to local businesses, some said the decision would be an inconvenience for them.

Michelle M. Gittens, a student at Harvard Extension School, said she was displeased with the decision.

“Right now, it’s frustrating,” she said.

Gittens, who parks in Harvard Square about twice a week to attend classes, said that public transportation is “unreliable” for the hours when she is required to travel to and from her home in Mattapan, Mass.

While the decision may be unpopular, Jillson said she thinks it will not prevent people from getting around in Cambridge.

“After all, it is the best walking city in the country,” she said, citing Cambridge’s recent appearance in the health-orienated magazine Prevention.