We all contribute to traffic congestion, and we all need to share in the burdens of improving circulation. As more homes are built and more businesses opened or expanded in Franklin, traffic volume will increase. Current traffic volumes are projected to continue to increase over the next 15 years. See Figures 40 and 41 below. Parking in the downtown area is limited.
Several businesses have parking lots for their customers.
Public parking is available at metered parking spaces in the municipal lot on Depot Street and along Main Street and adjacent streets. The number of metered spaces decreased as a result of the reconstruction of Route 140 in 1996. The Forge Park MBTA station has 760 parking spaces and is not normally filled to capacity. The MBTA decreased the Forge Park commuter rail fare to match the Downtown station fare in 1996 in an attempt to divert commuters from downtown to Forge Park Station. This did not resolve the problem of commuter parking shortages at the Downtown station.