Trying to encourage people to return to downtown one moment, and then trying to discourage people from going downtown the next moment; classic Prince George city management techniques. Of course there is no cost involved to remove and replace the parking meters is there (probably a different budget) Heres a question: how much more business did the downtown enjoy due to free on street parking? Another thing, why can't they enforce the two hour limit? Apathy?
metalman.

Way to go Council!!! Start charging us again to park downtown. You i@!0+,$ just don't get it, DO YOU?

There is very little reason to come downtown now. Maybe if you want to have panhandlers bothering you for your spare change, or stepping around vomit on the sidewalk, or maybe a prostitute or 3 that wants to know if you want some company. Crackheads everywhere...........HELLO. And you want to charge me for this?? Shut up already.

You people in council, need to start listening to the people that pay you your over sized salaries. You are all out of control. Some things just DO NOT CHANGE.

And one more thing, tell us the true numbers.

What was the total revenue from money put into the meters and the revenue from fines? Give us the combined total.

What was the cost for the meter people to walk around downtown writing tickets and collecting the money out of said meters?

What was the loss of revenue for the businesses downtown, because people didn't want to plug a meter?

Come on Danny boy, give us all the facts!!

Ok guys, lets get both our oars in the water. We fooled the city for a bit that it was the parking meters are the reasons why we were not going downtown. The real reason is because of the people down there. Thus some of us had enjoyed a free ride for a bit.

Every other major city in Canada has parking meters downtown, why should we be different.

However don't bring back the old coin method, get updated with electronic units, that takes credit card, Debit cards, twoonies, loonies, quarters, dimes and nickels.

Also give us the option prebuy our parking fines and have it assigned to a liscence plate. This way we are not running out of a meeting because our meter is running out.

ROFLMAOOOOOOOOO! I just do not know what to say. One hand they are crying for people to make downtown a beautiful place. The downtown was ruined by the city planers decades ago. The other hand they want to tax the remaining businesses downtown and replace the meters that they just spent hundreds of thousands of dollars removing. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent on studies, with no positive results. My God! The downtowns worse enemy is the city itself. Get a grip or get the hell out! We pay you these extreme wages that you keep giving yourselves a raise on to have a brain. Can we say Nightmare!

People like myself ned to go downtown to work. Our offices are DT and we access services DT Monday-Friday. Lets not forget that people work in the DT. As far as the Parking Meters. Stupid idea from the get go, why do we remove a source of revenue...the new way of policing costs the city more cash...the powers that be new this before hand....however like many decisions made in PG....let's get re-elected by removing parking meters!
So how to save face:
When the bylaw officer writes you your ticket and your still there in an hour-toe the car ike the do in the rest of the world...simple....better yet...get the ticket and tow the car...tickets are to be paid prior to releasing the auto.....and of course it'll cost you for the impound and tow! That's how to make cash.....

People like myself need to go downtown to work. Some of us pay for off street parking. Our offices are DT and we access services DT Monday-Friday. Lets not forget that people work in the DT. As far as the Parking Meters. Stupid idea from the get go, why remove a source of revenue...the new way of policing costs the city more cash...the powers that be new this before hand....however like many decisions made in PG....let's get re-elected by removing parking meters!
So how to save face:
When the bylaw officer writes you your ticket and your still there in an hour-tow the car like the do in the rest of the world...simple....better yet...get the ticket and tow the car...tickets are to be paid prior to releasing the auto.....and of course it'll cost you for the impound and tow! That's how to make cash.....This cut and dry method works...Remember-"There's No Free Lunch"

Thank you Municca, well stated.

I'd like to know what the numbers truly are? Not the revenue losses. But I'd like to know how many new shoppers this free parking program has brought to the downtown core.

Perhaps the city has lost money on this because there were no new shoppers created from it.

We all know it's the pan handlers and street people that create a poor shopping district. If they are still there then why would we expect things to change even when parking is free? It would almost be like saying... "Hey I went down town today to shop and I got harrassed by 7 street people, they scared the heck outa my 79 year old mom and my 4 year old grandaughter but the parking was free."

It's pretty much a given that the meters will be back and then we'll once again be just like any other municipality in Canada.

NO METERS, period. They are gone, let them be gone! NO MORE STUDIES DANNY BOY! Quit wasting our money, NOW!

Municca, it wasn't the planers, it was the beehive burners-sorry, could not resist ;)
Now that really takes me back; when there were numerous sawmills across the tracks from downtown. Remember the fly ash? PG was thriving then, the downtown was the center of all the action. That was before the city planners allowed Spruceland Mall to locate in '67, and then Pine Centre in '74. I believe that those two shopping centres locating out of the downtown were the beginning of the end for a vibrant downtown PG. Woodwards and Parkwood were close enough to not have much of an effect on downtown shopping. The city had to grow, and with that, more shopping facilities, but if they had made more of an effort to keep the major commerce downtown 45 years ago, we would not be having the eternal debates about our decayed city center. It is too late to save it, we can only hope to change it and that won't happen until someone figures out how to deal with the street life and common criminals, and the drug trade.\
metalman.

I would be willing to bet that even if the meters were still there the income would be much lower as well. As mentioned above, people are tired of the panhandlers, druggies, and everything else downtown. That is why the downtown is dead.

There are probably at least 6 people marking tires and giving out tickets too. If those people were not on staff it would likely save $230,000.00 or more.

Prince George , a major City ?

What % of that $230,000.00 was parking ticket revenue?

Are the old meters in a warehouse and going to be put back in use or are we upgrading to something that takes a toonie or loonie as has been suggested? If we are upgrading then what is the price on new meters?

The only thing I go downtown for is to go to the Northern and Liquidation World. And only then when I absolutely can't find what I am looking for anywhere else. I think they should turn the whole downtown core into bikes and pedestrians only. Leave delivery lanes open, set up some parking on the outskirts and have people either walk the downtown core or let people use those bike rickshaws to ferry people around. There would be tons less maintenace cost for the streets. But of course, nothing can happen until they somehow dislodge the undesirables.

When I was 19, I worked at McLeod's Dept Store on 4th avenue (it is now the EI building). Right out our windows, across the street was the Bay parkade, beyond that the Bay it self. Kiddy corner there was Kresge's. Across from the Bay on 3rd, The Northern. Down the street from McLeod's was Save-co.

All banking institutions were downtown.

Downtown was vibrant. There was a reason to come downtown to start, and then after that, maybe a meal and/or a movie. Or maybe even a night on the town.

It's all gone. Prince George has lost it's way, plain and simple.

There are still quality establishments downtown if people (who never go downtown but always complain about the downtown) visit downtown. 50 cents per hour compared to up to $2 or $3 in other cities is a very cheap parking rate. Alot cheaper than a coffee at Tim Hortons (which people do not complain about and sometimes buy 2 or 3 a day).

"use those bike rickshaws to ferry people around". In winter one can put studs on the tires and skiies on the rickshaw, HE HE.

Ah, the downtown before Pine Centre ... I experienced tht for a year or two ... it was great ... the way a downtown should be.

In approving shopping centre developments our city daddies and mommies did not heed the warning signs from pletny of other communities across Canada who had batteld and were still battling the same problem. The had an OCP that said all the right words, but one project after another during one administration after another kept on overuling their own plan.

If we had a provincial Municipal Board it would be easier to appeal such continuing incompetence. There would be a watch dog to watch over the people who are not taking their responsibilities seriously.

Asx far as parking meters go. They would be out of thier minds to replace them with individual meters. Most communities have installed the new centre of block pay kiosks such as are at the airport now. That would cut down on meter maintenance and collection.

Control the undesirables downtown. That is the only solution.

THE RE-INSTALLATION OF THE PARKING METERS HAS TO BE A SAD, SICK JOKE!

IS MAYOR DAN JUST PRETENDING TO BE IN CONTROL

Downtown is on the verge of something big and amazing (and secret), and these bone heads at City Hall are about to screw it up by re-introducing parking meters!

What a bureaucratic farce!

If they upgrade the parking meters to super duper electronic ones that can be paid by yer cellphone or debit card, you can feel better turning down some bum asking fer spare change. You don't have to lie to him anymore. Of course some bums and panhandlers will start carrying their own debit card machines and then you're in trouble.Could happen. Downtown sucks.

Just maybe people changed there parking habits downtown thus avoiding the fine for being over the 2 hour time limit by realizing there is nothing downtown worth spending 2 hours looking for that can't be found elsewhere in town without the threat of a parking fine. Maybe the air fairy can double as an undercover parking cop while not out checking on backyard weiner roasts.

Way to city hall. Keep up the good work. Hope everyone remembers on election day.

Perfect. The idea of the return of pay parking, makes doing business in the decrepit downtown core even more inviting.

I have rolls of quarters, nickels, dimes, and bucks. I even have a roll or two of toonies. I'm ready to go! Bring 'er on Danny boy, there ain't no stopping you.

Maybe I will start a new business, "Charging For Change", because the merchants don't like to give it out! Give me a 5 dollar bill, and I will give you $4.00's in coin so you can plug your meter. How about that?

I continue to shake my head at these "BOSOES" steering this ship.

WHen meters were removed, office workers started parking on the street. That was evident when I had to go downtown at 8:00 a.m. and there was no where to park - retail business don't open til 10 so who was filling up the parking spots? Also, putting meters back is ridiculous - why penalize everyone for the mistakes of a few? Replan how tickets are issues, raise the price of being over the two hour limit, tow vehicles who are still on the street after being issued a ticket - there are lots of things that can be done before resorting to putting meters back in. Sometimes I think Dan Rogers is trying to undermine the work of the Downtown Task Force.

Scrap the DBIA reverse petition and let Kirk deal with it. Let his corporation handle all things parking downtown. He can use the parking revenues to fund his saving grace agenda! That should save the taxpayers a few hundred thousand dollars...

I say, "kickirkinthekakehole" and send him packing. Had enough of his B.S.

NO MORE PARKING METERS, NO MORE TAXES!!!!
DO YOU IDIOTS GET IT!! We are tired of paying for your bullsh!t. Are you listening Danny boy. You are the biggest mistake to ever come to Prince George City Council. You have not a clue about finance or budgets.

That in itself is a problem with Prince George politics. When we have an election, we have individuals running on what they personally think is right. Instead, if we had some sort of a party base, we may get more of a council that represents the wishes of most.

It is time for change, and the time is now!!

Step up to the plate then taxinapothole and while you're at it - take an adivan and settle yourself down.