Centers And Squares
Street Cleaning in Cambridge Will Sweep Away More Than Dirt
If it’s spring it must be street sweeping season. Thank goodness! Cambridge is a dirty mess with flotsam and jetsam lining the curbs. The snow covered up months of accumulated debris. Now that the snow’s gone – finally! – it’s time for a good cleaning.
People also dropped money in the snow over the long winter months. When the ice and snow melted I started to find change as I walked along the streets in Cambridge. I love to find money – even pennies. I save it in a tin so I can keep track of how much I’ve found. When the piles along the curbs were first uncovered it seemed I was finding money every day. My best score by far is shown in the photo above. Yes – that’s a dirty, rumpled $20 bill that spent many weeks buried in the snow and debris. Resisting the urge to pull that $20 from my tin in a pinch will be a true test of self control.
There’s more money out there! Quick – before it’s swept away – poke at the piles along the curb. I’ve got everybody I know looking down as they walk, kicking aside the refuse in the hopes of finding some cash.
Street sweeping in Cambridge MA runs from April 1st through December. Streets are cleaned monthly – opposite sides on different days. The Cambridge DPW has a map and schedule online. Miss the day and your car will be towed. Watch the signs – even blocks with parking meters are subject to towing on street cleaning day.
Happy hunting!
When she’s not picking up money in the streets, Elizabeth Bolton is a real estate agent in Cambridge, MA. Actually she does both at once – since she found the bill pictured above while on the way to show a house for sale in Cambridge.
Did You Get Your Cambridge Resident Parking Sticker?
Because if you didn’t you might have a parking ticket on your car when you get home tonight.
The deadline for having a 2009 Cambridge resident parking sticker on your car was January 31st and the ticketers will be out in full force today.
Registration forms to get the new stickers were mailed out back in November but there are always plenty of people who leave it to the last minute. As the deadline nears, the line wraps through the lobby of the City Hall Annex building on Broadway at Inman. Head on over if you’ve yet to get your new sticker – but be prepared to wait in line!
One new twist this year – despite the outdated instructions on the sticker – new regulations require the parking sticker to be placed on the lower corner of the windshield on the driver’s side. Thus ends a long standing tradition of amassing a collection of the annual stickers on your passenger window or back windshield. Long time residents displayed them as a badge of honor and it was fun to see all of the photographs of Cambridge used on the stickers through the years.
This year’s sticker has a photo by Israel Ferraz of the clock tower at Cambridge City Hall. The winning photograph was one of 125 submitted in the 2009 resident parking permit photo contest held by the City.
What? Another Ticket? 10 Common Cambridge Parking Violations
The new City of Cambridge Traffic and Parking Department booklet has a list of ten common parking violations that don’t require a sign. So even if you’ve got a current Cambridge parking sticker and you’ve checked the street signs, you’ll get a Cambridge parking ticket for any of these violations:
- Blocking a handicapped ramp
- Parking within ten feet of a fire hydrant
- Parking in a crosswalk
- Parking in an intersection
- Parking on a sidewalk
- Non-resident parking more than 24 hours without moving the vehicle
- Parking less than ten feet from a travel lane
- Commercial vehicle parking overnight
- Parking over one foot from the curb
- Parking in the wrong direction
My brother was outraged when he was nicked for the last item on the list. Hey, that goes over in South Boston but not in Cambridge!
Buying A Home in Belmont? Better Get A Parking Space
If you’re searching for a home or condo in Belmont, Massachusetts it’s important to pay careful attention to each property’s parking options.
Overnight parking is prohibited in Belmont on all public and private ways. The restriction applies to the hours of 1:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Most single families in Belmont will have driveway parking. If you’re in the market for a condominium, however, parking options may be more varied. If the property listing indicates that parking is included, you will want your attorney to review the condominium documents to confirm that you do in fact have the right to park in a legitimate assigned or deeded parking space.
What are the options if parking is not included with the property?
There are several parking lots in Belmont that allow overnight parking. Cars must be removed before 7 a.m.
- Waverley Square municipal lot
- Cushing Square municipal lot
- Belmont Center municipal lot
- Belmont Public School parking lots (Cars may not be parked at Chenery Middle School until after 9 pm)
Copyright © 2008 - 2009 Centers And Squares Agent Login Design by Real Estate Tomato Powered by Tomato Real Estate Blogs
