‘Outrageous,’ blast drivers as city doubles parking fees forcing residents into expensive lots with ‘astronomical rates’ | 7A8E9MV | 2024-05-10 12:08:01
'Outrageous,' blast drivers as city doubles parking fees forcing residents into expensive lots with 'astronomical rates' | 7A8E9MV | 2024-05-10 12:08:01
THOUSANDS of car owners have signed a petition to fight legislation that doubles the parking costs in a US city.
The petition slammed the legislation for taking away free parking in the city on Saturdays.
The Buffalo, New York law that the petition was started at the end of 2018 to battle also extended the pay period by 6 hours a day.
Many accused the law of forcing downtown workers to park in expensive, privately owned lots and ramps.
They said that the idea behind the legislation was that more consumers would be able to find street parking during the day.
Reba Allen, a local resident who started the Change.org petition, stressed that the change forces drivers parking in the city to "pay astronomical rates simply to be at work."
She stated it's also a "huge matter of public safety and discourages economic growth of the businesses downtown."
Nearly 25,000 people signed the petition as of this publication, with many voicing their concerns.
"As a business owner in the city, this is outrageous," one person wrote as their reason for signing the petition.
"I just won't stand by the corruption."
"This will make people not want to come to the city," someone else added.
"This is ridiculous," one resident who signed the petition stated.
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> "Too much and the hours are too late. It will deter people from going out and patronizing businesses."
The measure was approved in December 2018 requiring drivers to pay by meter on numerous downtown streets from 8 am to 5 pm.
Adding six hours, the pay period was extended from 7 am to 10 pm.
Buffalo Parking Commissioner Kevin Helfer said the goal of the changed parking rate situation was to prevent people from sitting in one spot for too long, resulting in more turnover.
<p class="article__content--intro"> Parking on a public street is generally legal, even in front of someone's house, experts say. </p> </div> </div> Though he did encourage long-term parkers to use paid ramps and lots, The City would create over 700 new spots downtown, local ABC affiliate WKBW-TV reported.
The plans for that to be done included turning the spots that were no-standing zones into paid parking spots.
Helfer defended the city's parking regulations a month later, in January 2019.
"Free parking, and I know it sounds counterintuitive, would probably be the worst thing for a vibrant business district," he said.
"If everything was free in downtown parking, anyone who wanted to come down, if they wanted to go to City Hall to pay a tax bill, to go to DMV to do your license,
"To stop in and have lunch at a restaurant, they'd never have access."
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