RE “PARKING is often elusive for those riding MBTA” (Metro, March 23): While the general tone of Nicole Dungca’s story is spot-on, I take issue, as a longtime Red Line commuter, with the T’s statement that only about 35 spaces in the Alewife parking garage are offline. Large chunks of several floors have been fenced off for months with no construction work accomplished at all. This is one reason for the tight parking situation at Alewife.
Another reason people forgo this garage is that poor traffic patterns prevent commuters from leaving in a timely manner at the end of the day. I have sat in tie-ups as long as 40 minutes just to get out of the garage from the upper floors. Cambridge police should be present regularly to help ease this problem, but they are often nowhere to be found.
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Between a balky Red Line and a horrible ride out of the garage, is it any wonder that people throw in the towel and drive into Boston?