HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-22-23 Public Comment - C. Pincus - paid parkingFrom:Clara SJ Pincus
To:Agenda
Subject:paid parking
Date:Sunday, January 22, 2023 10:17:30 AM
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Dear Commissioners:
The unanimous input of the On-street Paid Parking Committee should be the decisive factor indeferring current action on implementing paid parking downtown.
A premature experiment in paid parking can adversely and unnecessarily deter shopping
downtown by locals, in a way that would be hard to revisit and reverse. Maintenance ofdowntown quality is critical for locals and visitors alike. We should not take a chance on
reducing our downtown viability. Numbers show that a small reduction in profit margins canmake or break many businesses. If locally-owned businesses must close, it is more likely that
nationally-supported chains will move in, and reduce our downtown's mix of both.
While it is great to have business development in other directions around town, we clearlywant to maintain local options in the core and not abandon it to visitors, who would in any
case find it less charming without our local flavor. In terms of climate impact, the downtowncore has shopping and dining options for residents who would drive a short distance to get
there, as compared with driving further for what could become 'easier' choices.
The On-street Paid Parking Committee members are the ones who really understand thenegative impact of paid parking on hiring and retaining employees. Prematurely imposing paid
parking, without thoroughly looking at alternative solutions, clearly imposes an economichardship on employees and thereby employers. The Bozeman area already has well-known
economic hardships imposed on workers who work in restaurant and retail businesses.
My personal experience is that I have never had a problem finding parking downtown. And Imean surface parking, and almost always only looking on Main St, mostly heading east, and
the side streets between Main and Babcock. Every time I pass the lot on Rouse and Babcock Isee at least 10 spaces available, often closer to 20. Mid-day Saturday (1/21/23) I counted about
20 legal open parking spots as we drove on Babcock between Willson and Rouse, plus theuseful sign showed 19 spaces in the lot by Rouse. (My count excluded the short-term parking
spots in front of the P.O.) Although I am a supporter of local businesses and seek to avoid on-line shopping, despite its ease, my experience with parking meters is that they don't function
ideally and are enough of an additional hassle to make it less likely I'd want to do thingsdowntown.
Parking kiosks increase sidewalk clutter. If you put them too far apart, it's just another factor
in what could become a 'pain-in-the-butt' calculation of shopping downtown. Distance to walkto and from the kiosk is also a factor for people with mobility restrictions, and children to
wrangle safely. If you put in multiple ones per block, their unattractiveness is multiplied, andfurther restricts car-door-opening, pedestrian movement, and pleasant sidewalk use by
restaurants. Disruption to businesses during their installation should also be considered.There's no guarantee of being able to go back once you put them in.
Given people's general crankiness about having fees and such mandated, I think there wouldbe substantial public ill-will generated against the city and that it would spill over in negative
attitudes toward downtown businesses.
In addition, paid parking makes it more likely that nearby residents will find it harder to parkat their homes. This is a real burden for older people, people with mobility issues, people
moving groceries, etc., people with small children. It causes street congestion with temporarydouble-parking and driveway-blocking, and can reduce emergency vehicle access. Those
streets are already narrow and often reduced to single-lane in the winter.
I don't have a sense of parking enforcement, and how much parking occurs over the 2-hr limit,nor how much vehicle-moving goes on by people trying to park for extended periods daily. I
don't know if enforcement can be done by the same method that MSU uses, with license platereaders. If extended parkers are primarily employees, then it is of first importance to find a
way to better accommodate their needs. The On-Street Paid Parking Committee has numeroussuggestions to explore. If extended parkers are shoppers who could alternately be using the
paid parking structure and its reasonable prices, then enforcement is useful for freeing upsurface places.
Cordially, Clara Pincus
-- Clara SJ PIncus
2010 Spring Creek Dr. Bozeman MT 59715
cell 303/815-6966landline 406/582-8206