Boston to Test Extended Parking Restrictions in Southie

"City officials are preparing to launch a 90-day experiment in roughly one-third of the neighborhood that would expand resident-only overnight parking from four to seven evenings a week," reports Andrew Ryan.

"Bill Linehan, City Council president, said the 90-day trial is an attempt to address complaints about the scarcity of parking on weekends, when an influx of young professionals now living in the neighborhood attracts droves of visitors."

The data backs up the narrative that more people are trying to park in Southie: "The number of resident parking stickers has increased by 10 percent in the last three years, jumping to nearly 18,258 from 16,636 in 2011, according to the city Transportation Department."

Meanwhile the pilot program is highly controversial, called a band-aid in need of a tourniquet, and with opposition from both sides—residents who say the restrictions aren't enough and by residents who are concerned about access to the neighborhood by out-of-town visitors.