I am tempted to give at least runner up status to Quincy, MA and its city dads for some of the most illogical parking thinking on the planet.
Everything was fine in the downtown. Then the parking enforcement officer left. Suddenly there is not enough parking.
“…..the city’s parking enforcement officer is no longer patroling the downtown, and hasn’t been for several months. “When she was enforcing the law, parking really wasn’t much of an issue downtown,” said Randy Stocker, downtown business owner and member of the District. “People didn’t want those $5 tickets, and they parked in the free lots. A few months after she left, they started parking closer to businesses there…..”
The city says it costs them $18,000 a year out of pocket to enforce the parking rules. The deal is, I think, that there is a 2 hour limit downtown. Two Hours Free. Then there is a $5 ticket. There are two solutions, and I think they should work in tandem.
Charge for parking on the street – even a nominal amount – and double the fines. $5, come on. If you did that there would be enough money to cover enforcement costs and probably have a bit left over to pay for street lights, or watering the flowers.
However the police chief and the city moms and pops are scratching their heads over this. Sigh
Hat Tip – Mark
JVH
