Parking in Southie can be a “challenge,” to say the least.  But when there’s a parking meter and a parking sign working together to ensure that if you park in that spot, you’re guaranteed to get a ticket, we’ll that’s just not fair.  That spot in question is located on A Street in South Boston, and it’s referred to as “The Phantom Meter.” Why is it called that? Well, because drivers who have parked in the metered space have been ticketed for parking in a “no-stopping zone.”

NBC 10 recently did an investigative story on this issue.  South Boston resident Story McMillan parked in that spot last fall and received a $90 ticket.  She attempted to dispute the ticket at a hearing, and you know what they say, “You can’t fight City Hall.”  The ticket was not dismissed, and the $90 fine stood.  McMillion decided to reach out to NBC10 Boston.

According to a public records request by NBC10, it was revealed that from January 2020 to January 2023.  31 tickets had been issued in that spot for violations.

Thanks to the investigative reporting of rock star Leslie Gaydos, the City of Boston fixed the situation by removing the “no stopping zone” parking sign and reinstalling it on a different light pole. Evidently, according to the Boston Transportation Department (BTD), the sign was in the wrong location, to begin with.  McMillian also was refunded the $90 she had to pay for the ticket fines.

We are glad that this “situation” was resolved, but it has us wondering how many other parking signs are in the wrong location throughout the City of Boston.

You can read the full story plus video story via NBC10Boston here!