The city of Fairhope, AL, has decided that rather than enforce the parking rules, they will simply remove them. This was at the recommendation of the Police Chief. You can read all about it here. Correspondent Mark thinks this will come back to bite them. I agree.
The rule is that parking is free in the area but the maximum time limit is 2 hours. There is abundant free unlimited parking in lots and a structure nearby, but for some strange reason people want to park near their work. The chief admits that enforcement has been “inconsistent.” So rather than fix that problem, they decided to do away with the rule.
We all know what will happen. The shopkeepers and their employees will park right in front of their stores, and there will be no place for customers to park. One store owner already had it figured out:
“Some of the shopkeepers here think they can’t walk,” Schemmer said. “I’m adamant about keeping track of them and talking to them to make sure they don’t use customer parking all day, every day.”
The only reasonable solution – charge for parking on street. Keep the off street parking free or very reasonable. Use the money generated to make downtown more inviting. Shoupistas unite.
JVH
