HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/7/2023 Item 6a, Lang
J Lang <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Solution Regarding Palm Street Parking Policy
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To: San Luis Obispo City Council Members
In addition to the high cost of parking in San Luis Obispo being a deterrent to going downtown, there is a major flaw in
the logic behind the new parking procedures at the Palm Street structure that is causing people to avoid downtown.
The new procedures require that a person know ahead of time how long they will be needing to park in the structure. I
maintain that many people don't know this prior to their visits downtown. A perfect example is the City Council
meetings: care to venture how long the Tuesday meeting will last, especially when there is a contentious issue on the
agenda?
You might say that the parking app will solve the problem. However, the parking app ties part of one's attention to one's
phone waiting for a notice about needing to add parking funds. Not only that, when adding funds, one's attention is then
diverted from the task at hand, e.g., following the discussion at the meeting or whatever other activity in which one is
engaged. Finally, there is the disturbance to those nearby as one uses the phone to add funds.
The simple solution to the Palm Street policy flaw is to return to the old system where one receives a stub when
entering the garage and doesn't worry about paying until one exits. Visitors to downtown can then spend as much time
as they need to attend meetings, shop, visit with friends, etc., in a leisurely fashion without worrying about parking.
Please return to the old system - or some variation of it - to help restore interest in visiting downtown and keeping our
downtown core vibrant.
Sincerely,
Judy Lang
SLO resident
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