Man, Parking at Fenway Is a Disaster on Game Day

A new ordinance raises the fine for parking in residential spots around the park.

Image via SpotHero.com

Image via SpotHero.com

A new ordinance goes into effect Monday, a.k.a. opening day for the Red Sox at Fenway Park, that will nearly double the fine for parking in residential spots around the venue on game days. Beginning two hours before a game and extending until two hours after the game, the fine will jump from $40 to $100. And no wonder. If you could find a spot that’s reasonably close to the park for a mere $40 fine, you’d be enormously lucky.

More likely, if you’re looking to park in a garage close to the park on a game day, you’re going to find prices much higher than that. Scan a map of the Fenway area during game times on a parking space aggregator like SpotHero, and you’ll see garage prices jump to anywhere from $50 to $100. To find a space under $20, you have to go beyond the Museum of Fine Arts or into the Longwood Medical Area. So yeah, we know this isn’t breaking news but, man, parking near Fenway before a game is the worst.

With that little reminder out of the way, let’s agree that it’s no wonder the city needed to bump up the fine for those parking illegally in residential spots. If it costs $100 to park in a garage, you’re halfway to making it worthwhile to let your car get towed for the night. (OK, not quite.) So of course you’re not going to blink at a $40 fine for a residential spot. A $100 fine though?

Let this serve as a friendly warning. Don’t park in residential spots on game day. Actually, don’t park anywhere on game day. Just take the T. With all the money you save, you can afford to buy approximately five-sixths of a beer once you’re inside the park.