HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/7/2023 Item 6a, Ayral
From:Odile Ayral <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Parking Downtown
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Mayor Stewart and Council Members,
I share the frustrations of many residents regarding the huge increase in parking fees because I am very concerned
about the negative impact upon our downtown. What will happen if our locals don't come and shop or eat downtown
anymore? WHAT IS THE STAFF THINKING? Did they weigh the consequences of their decision, or are they so obsessed
with the deficit in their pension funds that they are unable to see the harm they are inflicting upon our downtown?
I will not even comment on the ridiculous "free one hour parking" for the residents (those who read this, do like me,
send an email to parking services and ask them to do it for you because it's the only way you will get to the end without
throwing your computer out the window). In any case, one hour to shop or eat or see a movie is not enough. As for
parking in downtown neighborhoods, it's impossible because most have permit districts or private parkings.
I explored other solutions. I am 82 years old, and I regularly walk from the Foothill Blvd area to downtown and back, but
I can't bring back anything heavy with me. I am also lucky to live in an area that is close to a bus stop, but buses come
around only about once every 45 minutes, so you have to carefully plan your day if you don't want to spend 40 minutes
sitting on a bench.
The best solution is to go elsewhere. As you know, the Madonna area or Morro Bay and other nearby towns also have
decent restaurants and stores. But to tell you the truth, it really upsets me to think of our downtown falling apart
because of poor thinking and greed on the part of the staff.
The Council's allegiance is to the residents of the city, not to the staff, and none of us wants to see our downtown
crumble. If the staff wants to increase parking fees, the city needs to compensate for this increase by creating a bus
system similar to the ones in large cities like Portland (buses coming every 15 minutes, and accommodating most
neighborhoods). Of course, this would wipe out the profit from increased parking fees, so the best solution would be to
return to where things used to be before all this nonsense started rolling around. I hope you hear us.
Sincerely,
Odile Ayral
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