Norwood’s “Parking Picnic” Ends, Visible Parking Tickets and Fines Begin-August 17, 1966

For the past 65 days, motorists in Norwood have enjoyed a parking holiday during which no tickets were issued. However, that grace period officially ends on Monday when the Norwood Police Department begins issuing the town’s newly adopted “visible” parking tickets.

Authorized during a June 2 special town meeting, the new tickets are designed to be placed directly on a vehicle at the time of the infraction. A police official confirmed that vehicles have not been tagged for parking violations since June 12. Alongside the new ticketing method, a revised schedule of fines will take effect on Monday:

• $5.00 Fine: Levied for double parking, parking in front of fire hydrants, or parking in the wrong direction.
• $3.00 Fine: Applied for obstructing a crosswalk, sidewalk, driveway, or bus and taxi stand, as well as for all-night street parking.
• $2.00 Fine: Assessed for parking within 20 feet of an intersecting way or within a restricted area.
• $1.00 Fine: Charged to overtime parkers or those parked more than a foot from the curb.

All fines must be paid within 21 days at the Dedham District Court. Under the town’s old system, citations were processed by mail after identifying vehicle owners through the registry, featuring a warning system that charged $1 for the first four violations and $2 for the sixth offense.

Modern Historical Context

Municipal traffic regulations and local ordinance updates in Norwood during the mid-1960s reflected a growing suburban vehicle population and the need for streamlined enforcement. According to historical town records and press archives, transitioning from a mail-based citation system to “visible” parking tickets authorized by a special town meeting allowed the Norwood Police Department to enforce parking rules more efficiently. Fines collected through the Dedham District Court helped regulate congestion across commercial and residential areas.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger