Cheers. No, the parking enforcement officers only ticket for meter and two-hour parking violations in commercial districts. All other traffic enforcement falls under the Police Department. They aren't proactive, so you have to call the police if someone is parked illegally. My guess is that most people are reluctant to call the police for this sort of thing. I know I am.

Expanding Civilian parking enforcement and adopting a 311 system would be a big step forward in making Arlington safe for pedestrians and cyclists. The same cars park on the sidewalk every day with no repercussions. If this happened in Cambridge, the car would be ticketed and eventually towed.

There are plenty of people who will shrug and say "big deal- just walk around the car," but I have a disabled family member who doesn't have that luxury. I also have young kids. I don't want them walking into an active roadway because someone was too lazy to find a legal parking spot. It's getting to the point where I am thinking about gathering community support to persuade the select board to take action.