Help Me Hank: Help Me Hank! Resident parking predicament

Megan loves the bustle of downtown Boston, driving home past the Public Garden...

Megan Coneys, Boston resident
"I like the liveliness of living here."

... and arriving at her very own condo. But buying this swanky place near Park Plaza means there's one big necessity.

Megan Coneys, Boston resident
"I do need to have a car."

And as a Bostonian, she expects to have a place to park it, as she did when she lived on Beacon Hill.

Megan Coneys, Boston resident
"I do pay Boston taxes. I'm registered to vote."

She's a resident. She needs parking, and from her own window, she sees plenty of resident parking.

Megan Coneys, Boston resident
"About two blocks that way is Chinatown. Behind this hotel, behind me is Bay Village. And then if you walk out the front door, you go one city block, and you're in Back Bay."

So she figured, new address, new resident parking pass. Megan headed to City Hall, and that's where she hit a dead end. She was told, there's no resident parking for her address.

Megan Coneys, Boston resident
"They said I would never be able to get a parking spot."

Why? Her address is downtown Boston!

Megan Coneys, Boston resident
"I e-mailed 'Help Me Hank!'"

She 's a Boston resident, but she doesn't qualify for Boston resident parking? Turns out Megan doesn't live in a resident parking zone. She lives in a "parking Twilight Zone."

Hank Phillippi Ryan, 7NEWS Investigative Reporter
"So, what we're talking about is right here."

Commissioner Thomas Tinlin, Boston Transportation Department
"Right here."

The Boston Transportation Commissioner showed us his official map. Turns out Boston is divided into zones, like Back Bay and Chinatown, but they don't all get resident parking.

Commissioner Thomas Tinlin, Boston Transportation Department
"We don't guarantee anybody a parking space with their residence."

In the heart of Boston, like Megan's place, parking is particularly scarce.

Commissioner Thomas Tinlin, Boston Transportation Department
"You have a lot of commercial activity, you have a lot of loading activity [and] you have a lot of parking meters for folks to come in."

Bottom line for Megan: only a change of address can fix this problem.

Commissioner Thomas Tinlin, Boston Transportation Department.
"When you're exploring where you're going to buy, you need to see what is available. What off-street parking locations are available? Do I fall within a Resident Parking Program?"

So sorry Megan, just this once we can't beat City Hall. But now, at least you know why.

Megan Coneys, Boston resident
"I thought I was part of these areas, [but] I just didn't know what part. And now I know I'm not a part of any of them."

(Copyright 2007 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)