Parking in Cambridge's Inman Square neighborhood has long been an issue.
Employees of local businesses battle for spots with the customers who are headed to their stores and restaurants.
It's so bad that finding a spot can feel great.
"I feel extremely lucky, the parking Gods were smiling on me today," one woman said after finding a spot with relative ease.
Mike Thornhill also knows the drill. At least once a week, he's going to get a parking ticket outside the Cambridge, Massachusetts restaurant where he works.
"Obviously I'm a cook, I'm busy, I'm back there, I can't run out every hour on the hour to feed the meter," he said.
Looking to alleviate the parking crunch, the Cambridge City Council voted this week to move forward with a feasibility study in granting employees of small businesses a residential parking permit provided they live outside of Cambridge.
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Cambridge Mayor Marc McGovern says teachers and city employees have long asked for this perk, only to be told no. The mayor voted against the feasibility study on Tuesday.
"I couldn't look in the eyes of teachers, and say, I’m going to do this for these folks but I'm not going to do it for you," he said.
For Thornhill, any help would be appreciated, for his sanity, and his wallet.
"Twenty-five dollars a pop, multiple time a week, adds up real fast," he said. "It takes a big chunk of our paycheck."
The Cambridge City Council will have to decide whether or not to move forward with this program depending on the results from the feasibility study.
