Business community shoots down parking meters

No decision was made after a public meeting on parking meters didn’t generate much of what town council was looking for–public input.
Only three people–Business Improvement Area chairman Dan Cousineau, Chamber of Commerce president Dr. Bruce Lidkea, and local business owner Julian Morelli–spoke out against the proposal to reinstall parking meters in the downtown core, with about a dozen other business people on hand to see what was said.
The BIA, though, came armed with public opinion. In a survey of more than 250 people it conducted last week, 84 percent of shoppers said “no” to parking meters while only nine percent were in favour.
When asked for their opinion of downtown parking, 70 percent said it was “acceptable” or “reasonably acceptable” while 26 percent said it was “unacceptable.”
Of the 45 businesses surveyed, 76 were opposed to the parking meters while 11 percent wanted them.
“In about 10 months, 1,200 students and teachers will be leaving the downtown area for the new Westfort site,” Cousineau noted. “This will take a great deal of pressure off downtown parking.”
Cousineau also suggested the town look at clearing up the confusion over using town parking lots, and that the downtown area be made as customer-friendly as possible.
Morelli agreed, stressing that from a consumer standpoint, it was not a privilege to shop downtown. And with catalogue shopping on the rise, he stressed businesses there had to do everything they could to accommodate customers.
He noted he’d been watching the parking along the street over the past week and questioned what kind of problem there was.
“It seems to be busy between 1 and 3 [p.m.],” he noted.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time a proposal for parking meters has come before council in the past six years. Mayor Glenn Witherspoon said it was probably the third or fourth time.
“And this time it came because of the financial crunch,” he remarked.
It was estimated the 384 parking meters in the downtown area would bring in between $150,000 and $600,000.
But the mayor noted they also were looking to improve the flow of traffic in the downtown area. The town’s bylaw department did its own survey of vehicles parked along Scott Street and found at least 30 percent were business owners and employees.
Those people, Mayor Witherspoon charged, were playing a game with the town’s bylaw enforcement department by moving their cars every two hours to avoid being ticketed.
“It completely defeats the purpose of providing parking spaces for the public,” he argued.
But the business people assured they were working to address that problem.
“A program is underway to correct this now,” Cousineau assured.
“That avenue will be pursued vigorously now,” echoed Morelli.
The next move, though, is up to council. Mayor Witherspoon noted the committee of the whole of council probably would look at the issue again at its next regular meeting, and perhaps come up with a decision.
“I’m sure it will because we want to see this thing resolved,” he added.