Well that fix’s the problem then, the Mayor and Council don’t want me to drive down town anymore, so I’ll do my shopping elsewhere where the parking is free. It’s sad for the few restaurants and business’s that are still down there. I only need be down there now once in a while to goto the bank and the doctor when needed. Free parking at the bank, and pay at the doctor’s office.

I am sure that 1.1 million is worth it in the very very long run, unless they decide to remove pay parking again… wait… They already removed it once before, They just can’t make their mind up, and it seems to keep costing us money every time they change their minds.

….waste of money! and talk about the fines being a cash grab.

I wish this council would show some gumption and stand up for the downtown. One does not promote new buildings (the never to be built wood innovation design centre as one example) and services and then cut parking spaces and introduce more pay parking.

Potholes comments will probably be reflected in the actions of many. Why go downtown when its nothing but a hassle?

20 years to pay off the loan! WTF? So they are out 80,000 a year and they want to spend a million to get it back but it will take 20 year to see the extra cash? What a bunch or morons. “Citizens rebel by not paying the parking fines, courts tied up for another 20 years”. I think I will start a fake clip on license plate business.

what’s missing from this report is how much money the City anticipates on collecting from the parking fees. If they can collect $200K per year(net of collection costs) then it might make sense. But since that critical number is missing, who knows if the outlay of borrowed money makes sense.

Maybe the City should introduce a special levy on Business licences to those businesses that operate in Mall locations like Pine Centre and Parkwood so that they don’t get an unfair advantage by having a no pay parking lot?

It was finally starting to look like people were shopping downtown again (even before the xmas rush started). I don’t get why pay parking – that will take 20 yrs to show in the black – would even remotely be considered.

Going ahead will make you the laughing stock of the North, you may be it already.
Some Cities in the World use Cardboard Parking Disk you place on the Dash and set your Time when leaving. go over the Time Set you may get Fined if the Officer spots it. This may be to “Simple” for Prince George, you can’t spend that Million you don’t have!
Did I say the Disk cost only Pennies to make
and works in every Place, just set the Time when leaving your Car and place on Dash.

“It was finally starting to look like people were shopping downtown again”

You’re confusing the people who work downtown with shoppers. Too many people who work downtown are taking advantage of the free parking and it needs to stop. How many downtown businesses are losing customers because they can’t find nearby parking?

There does not seem to be any comments from anyone who works downtown on parking, ever.

for the city to realize the added monies from paid parking, the solution is simple.
cost – expenses = profit, therefore increase the mil rate to equal the profit. this would be the least costly.

$42.50 month seamutt to park in a city parking lot, a block up from my office. It isn’t the $$, it’s the walk in the dark during the winter months back to the vehicle that bothers me.

I for one will probably go downtown less because of paid parking. Now I have yet another step to go through to do business there. Get out of the car, remember my license #, go to kiosk – kiosk has been vandalized, go to next kiosk etc. Or, just go to the Mall. I already changed my bank from downtown because I’m tired of being asked to donate to every worthwhile street person I pass. Just another impediment.

Another thing, the council has a poor grasp on economics. The 1.1 million borrowed to put this system in, will leave this city. The $80,000 a year in revenue, will come from within this city. So the money out plus interest will no longer be in this community.

If you hired more by-law people, their wages would stay in the city. And hey, just get tough, start towing a few vehicles – never mind tickets. Once you start towing vehicles, the people who work down there will stop parking on the street. And maybe do something about the crappy lighting so people feel safe going to the city parking lot.

You got concerns? or just bellyaching?

The time it takes to post on the blog you can have a short letter emailed to city. The link is below.

This way it gets to everyone on council and mayor. Will be required to be posted on the agenda and minutes for the public to view if I am not mistaken. Especially when that subject is up for review at council meetings is it not?

Another reason for using this email address is that if anyone does an FOI request for certain information it will be there

mayorandcouncil@city.pg.bc

Why cant the managers of their property stop allowing their employees to park on the street. Why dosent the the business association proved a parking lot for the employees?.

Wouldnt it be cheaper to increase patrols and increas the fines if the city is to be responsible for parking control. Or do they want to provide a contract for freinds of the City.
Cheers

The real question is why is the City going back to pay parking. I actually dont beleive a word they say, when they talk about parking for a number of reasons.

1. At any given day Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm between Victoria, Queensway, 1st Avenue and 7th Avenue, you can find all kinds of parking. In fact one day on 3rd Avenue around 11 oclock on a week day I counted 30 or more empty spaces.

2. There is no doubt that people who work downtown are taking up a lot of the parking spaces, however if you care to think for a moment you might come to the realization that those who work downtown, are probably the downtowns best customers. They certainly are when it comes to restaurants and coffee shops. So having them take up space that at any given moment is not being used, is probably not as bad as it sounds.

3. I suspect that the City wants to issue more tickets so that even if they cannot collect all the money they can collect more than at present, and therefore offset some of thier costs, however I also suspect that they have an ulterior motive.

4. An aggressive ticketing and towing program will force people who work downtown to use the Citys parking facilities, and the City will then make revenue from these facilities, and if they break even on the parking meters that would be sufficient. So the question is. How much empty space on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis does the City have in all thier downtown parking facilities.????

6. My solution is simple. Dont reinstate the parking meters, in fact make all parking downtown free. Make all parking in the Cities parkades and parking lots free for the first 3 hours, and then issue tickets in these areas only. Its time to be progressive and quit sticking it to the consumer every time he/she turns around.

So 20 years to pay it back?
Does that mean they wont see a profit for 20 years?
If so whats the point.
mwk even if they collect $200K per year that would mean 5 years minimum to pay it off….still no profit….and what happens if something breaks in those 5 years?
Fixing electronics is not cheap,plus in 5 years they will be out of date and no parts will be available.

This is just a bad idea no matter which side of the coin you look at.

mwk: I’m sure the malls already pay for their customers parking in the extra taxes they pay for all that huge space and associated costs for snow removal, cleanup and so on. Oh, by the way, they pay for their repairs and repaving too.

Get tough with chronic abusers. Use ‘the boot’.

Fits right in with Stoltz’s 10 million dolar dike, the energy system which costs more for energy than natural gas, PG Hotel purchase, winter games, etc.
What do you expect from the maority of council given their track record to date.

So, from what I’m reading here is it safe to assume that the majority of posters feel that the city should be providing free parking for people who work downtown? As far as I can tell, that’s pretty much what you’re all arguing for.

Wish we could have a referendum on this foolishness, it would quickly disappear.

I have absolutely no problem with employees of businesses parking in one spot all day down there. It’s not the downtown core any more anyway.

Posted by: Slim2229 on December 4 2012 3:02 PM

I have absolutely no problem with employees of businesses parking in one spot all day down there. It’s not the downtown core any more anyway.

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But why should it be free for them? Aside from the fact they are blocking potential customers from visiting the few business’s that are downtown it costs money to maintain a street. Make the users pay.

See I was right Brian Skakun isn’t in favour of this….is he the only one with a head on his shoulders?

well as a person that does park in a parkade in downtown PG and have done so since 1997, I think I have an opinion that is worth listening to.

Ok, so I have seen both situations meters in and meters out. Will it get some of my cheap co-workers to cough up the money and park in a parkade? I kindof doubt it. Unless the new parking program covers the entire bowl, I bet my co-workers will just find out where the boundary is and park on the other side of it. So they still won’t pay for parking.

On the other hand, what can a City do to increase revenues? It’s either this or increase property taxes. I think they should just increase property taxes…..but that’s when a tonne of moaning and groaning starts.

It’s a hair brained idea to spend over a million dollars(plus interest) so you can pick the pockets of city residents…I suspect it’s more about political patronage in who is awarded the contract.

I have worked down town for the last three years and pay for personal monthly parking. I walk most days in the summer for lunch or shopping everyday. When the weather is bad or its the special Wednesday of the month when the craze’s are out on the streets, I drive to the different restaurant’s for lunch and shopping after work every day. During my lunch hour I have never had a problem finding a spot! I for sure will stop shopping downtown if I have to pay twice for it, simple.
I will drive the extra blocks up to Parkwood, Pinecenter and others who still have free parking.
For the record I’m not the only on in my office that feels the same way!
Do the math lunch today was $15 with a tip times that by 5 days a week that’s $300 gone a month, times that by 10 of us who eat out most days that $3000 moved to a different part of the city.
This does not in include the shopping we all do after work.

People living in other parts of this city do not use or support the down town merchant like the people that work here!

To add to my rant why do city employees get free parking at city hall or other city owned buildings. lets make all city owned land pay parking and no exceptions, when every one else down town has to pay to park. Maybe the city should start with is self first! Lets do some more math 567 staff paying the going rate of $40 a month that $22.680 times 12 months that’s $272,160 a year just for the full timers.

It just don’t seam right that the bylaw enforcement officer who hands out parking tickets get free parking!

The mayor would have to pay more because, apparently, her parking stall is special and is the only one shovelled by hand.

fsm has hit the nail on the head. The downtown’s best consistant customers are the people who work there.

We should at the very least be able to continue with the present parking system, and find a way to collect the money for fines from the people who do not pay. Or failing that, just get rid of paid parking altogether. The savings from staff reductions alone would be significant. The DBIA has offered to work with the City to get a better return on parking. Whats wrong with trying that before going to a new system.

Its time for the City Administration and Councillors to start to smarten up, and quit spending all thier time trying to screw joe and jane taxpayer/consumer.

Posted by: Palopu on December 5 2012 9:35 AM

fsm has hit the nail on the head. The downtown’s best consistant customers are the people who work there.

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How many potential customers have driven elsewhere when they were unable to find a parking spot that was convenient to the stores they wanted to visit all because someone who works downtown feels that they are entitled to free on street parking? I’d be guessing a lot.

I do agree however, that city employees should me made to pay for their parking. Axe half the workforce and make the ones that remain pay a fair market price for their parking stall. It’s time to end the gravy train that is the civil service.

I’ve never had a problem finding parking downtown. But I have had problems with most types of paid parking. From not having the correct change, to ticket dispensers that don’t work……if I have to start putting up with that pain in the neck to shop or do business downtown I’ll just quit doing business down there. I know that I won’t be the only one.

I agree Jim.

The next parking that needs to be taken care of is at the hospital and medical facilities.

People that are already stressed to the gills shouldn’t need to worry about getting a ticket or towed at one of those facilities.

Making people walk to get a ticket, then back to their vehicle and then into the building – is much more oppportunity for the elderly or those who are not steady on their feet to take a fall in the winter months.

It would be a kinder society if we didn’t have to pay for parking at all medical facilities.

If you’re not steady on your feet perhaps you shouldn’t be driving in the first place.

something has to be done to discourage the free loaders from taking advantage of the (for now) free parking downtown. I agree that spending over a million dollars on it is asinine.

Of course, this is the same council that announced they had $350,000 available for a core review and were surprised when the bid came in at $350,000.

How do you figure parking downtown is free? People that live here pay taxes to the city to provide services…some of which we don’t have to pay extra to use. Like parks, paved sidewalks, roads, streetlights and no charge parking. These things are not free….you need to re-evaluate your perspective if you think these things are free.

Any volunteers to be “Cool Hand Luke”, a bit tipsy with a pipe cutter? Could be interesting.

“How do you figure parking downtown is free? People that live here pay taxes to the city to provide services…”

Parking is not a service provided by the city to its’ residents. So yes, people are getting “free” parking. Free meaning they’re not paying for it.