–By Phil Orlandella
A formal letter was sent out by the North End Chamber of Commerce to their prevayers asking that North End deliveries be completed by 12 noon, according to Chamber President Frank DePasquale who owns and operates several neighborhood businesses.
“Several years ago, the 12 noon delivery policy was taken seriously by all parties involved,” DePasquale said. “It worked back then, it should work now.”
Deliveries currently take place all hours of the day turning the neighborhood’s main streets into a traffic maze.
Delivery vehicles are double-parked on both sides of the streets making it impossible for emergency vehicles to maneuver up and down the streets.
When the North End business community expanded, the delivery situation grew as well.
“The Chamber membership believes this plan will help alieviate what has become a serious problem,” DePasquale said. “This is a great opportunity for the business community to show that they are a part of the neighborhood and want to change things for the better,” DePasquale pointed out.
North End/Waterfront Neighborhood Council President Stephen Passacantilli called the idea “a great start in the right direction to clean-up the Hanover Street traffic nightmare.”
Passacantilli commended the Chamber for recognizing that “North End deliveries are the major reason Hanover Street has become a real problem, a public safety problem that needs to be dealt with immediately.”
Other residents felt the same way and supported the 12 noon curfew for neighborhood deliveries. One resident told the Review that “This is a great start but the taxi issue, other double-parked vehicles, side walk furniture placed everywhere in the community and long lines of business customers blocking the sidewalks are forcing pedestrians to walk on the streets, needs to be addressed as well.”
Still another resident pointed out that “valet parkers are using the drop-off space for parking customer vehicles forcing other patrons to double-park while waiting for service.”
“Dropping off their customers at locations in the neighborhood is fine,” DePasquale said. “The problem is the taxi driver sometimes remains double-parked looking to pick-up another quick fare. This only adds to the congestion problem on Hanover Street,” he added.
Several years ago the Chamber working with the City of Boston created a taxi stand on Cross Street. “The taxi industry needs to utilize this area and stop roaming the neighborhood continuously,” DePasquale said.
“Valet parking in the North End is a privilege and should not be taken advantage of,” DePasquale said.
DePasquale told the Review that the “delivery idea is only the first-step toward resolving the Hanover Street traffic congestion problem.”