[Summit] Parking Meters on Hope
Jeffrey Cavanaugh
jeff at cavanaugh.org
Wed Mar 9 14:00:49 UTC 2016
This isn't a shot in the dark, parking meters are quite common, even in
small quaint towns and certainly in tourist areas. I work in the western
suburbs of Boston, frequently having lunch in Wellesley, and all their
central business districts have meters. They have little impact on
quaintness. Buildings like the one that contains Apsara with parking in
front do far more to destroy the quaintness than any meter will.
Merchants always complain about meters, but I'm not sure the data backs
them up. The worst thing for an urban merchant is when their customers
cannot find a spot. The inconvenience of change or using a credit card is
less than no spot at all, and for an increasing number of people, it's not
an inconvenience at all. We pay at the pump, at the supermarket, its
becoming a normal part of life.
Providence place also charges for parking. They could go to Emerald Square,
but have you been there? That mall is depressing and having to add dental
clinics and schools to rent out space. Warwick mall is OK, but honestly,
this belief that everyone will go to the burbs because of a parking meter
feels like leftover 70's and 80-'s thinking. Current trends run the other
way.
There is also the issue of basic fairness. I NEVER, EVER park illegally, so
not being able to find a spot is VERY inconvenient for me. I also see
merchants or their staff take up spots on Hope St.all day. Meters enforce a
certain fairness in sharing a scarce resource.
I think the trick with meters is they need to be managed properly. The cost
and needs to be set properly to ensure spaces, cover cost of enforcement
but not to deter customers. In RI, and Providence, people are
understandably skeptical that the meters will be administered correctly.
Also, they may not be a fit for the Hope St. district because you could
argue that spaces are not all that scarce. I also think I had heard they
were not going to put them on Hope because of that. Although, in my
experience, people are very reluctant to park very far down the streets to
avoid a meter.
I think in the last 20 years or so, Rhode Islanders have gotten used to
paying for parking in places like Newport and Providence, and are only
willing to spend so much of their lives at places like the Warwick mall.
On Wed, Mar 9, 2016 at 8:23 AM Kim Clark <ktcxyz at cox.net> wrote:
> i disagree. meters have been disastrous in wayland square an they have the
> numbers. meters are not only ugly, but a nuisance. people don’t have change
> and while many people can easily figure out how to use the credit card
> function, many middle aged (of which i am one) people and older folks are
> intimidated, don’t know how to use them an just keep on driving.
>
> they’re also ugly and detract from our “village” over city feel.
>
> k
> *Kim T. Clark*
> www.RHODYCRAFT.com
> 780 HOPE STREET
> PROVIDENCE, RI 02906
> 401.626.1833
>
> <http://www.rhodycraft.com>
> <http://www.rhodycraft.com>
>
> On Mar 9, 2016, at 7:34 AM, Jeffrey Cavanaugh <jeff at cavanaugh.org> wrote:
>
> What specific issues have been measured in Wayland square since the meters
> were put in?
>
> On Wed, Mar 9, 2016 at 7:32 AM Tim Lazarus <timothyyl at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Kim -
>>
>> Have you seen a plan somewhere?
>> It was my understanding that meters would not be installed on Hope
>> because the city feared they would push cars onto the side streets.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Tim
>>
>> On Mar 8, 2016, at 10:08 PM, Kim Clark <ktcxyz at cox.net> wrote:
>>
>> Hi neighbors,
>>
>> I’ve lived in Summit for 23 years and own a small biz on Hope Street. I
>> wanted to give you the heads up that the city is planning on installing
>> parking meters on Hope Street and possibly some of the side streets.
>> Personally, I think this is a dreadful idea. Meters are ugly and detract
>> from the small town feel that Hope Street has.
>>
>> New Meters installed in Wayland Square have had a terribly detrimental
>> effect on business there. It would be terrible to see our small business
>> districts wither due to exacerbated parking issues. Meters are just another
>> reason for potential visitors to drive to the mall or nearest big box to
>> shop.
>>
>> If you don’t support the meters, I suggest you contact the Mayor asap.
>> Write letters to the editor, inform your neighbors. Let’s speak up and let
>> them know that we want our neighborhood to stay the way it is. When
>> downtown landlords are getting tax abatements, I don’t see why we should
>> have to feed the meter to park in our own neighborhood. If you love our
>> little retail section, help us stop the meters.
>>
>> Most Sincerely,
>>
>> Kim Clark
>> Dexterdale
>>
>> *Kim T. Clark*
>> www.RHODYCRAFT.com <http://www.rhodycraft.com/>
>> 780 HOPE STREET
>> PROVIDENCE, RI 02906
>> 401.626.1833
>>
>>
>> <RhodyCraftTag.jpg> <http://www.rhodycraft.com/>
>>
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>
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