Parking Issue Provokes Public Debate

A few days ago, I sat in the window of a downtown sandwich shop and watched a very entertaining and informative sequence of events.

As I began to eat my tuna on whole wheat, a car parked in a corner space out in front of the shop pulled away into traffic. As soon as the vehicle left, the young gentleman who made my sandwich bolted from the shop as if his pants were on fire. He returned a few minutes later in his own vehicle to claim the only parking spot in front of the business. I have seen this same scenario played out at other places, once by the owner/partner of another business.

These are two examples of one of the prime reasons that parking places in the downtown district can sometimes be hard to find. The length of Washington Street that runs from Federal Street to Canal Street is home to well over 40 businesses. Waitstaff from restaurants, lawyers and their assistants, counter help and other assorted employees choose to play this daily game of feed the meter or constantly move from one time limited space to another.

These folks do not seem to realize that they are shooting themselves in the foot. The customer is the person each business needs. Without them, there is no business. Monopolizing the spaces in front of your own building is not a good business practice.

The proposed parking plan attempts to address this problem through higher meter rates in the primary business area coupled with lower rates in other areas and in some of the municipal lots. The proposed doubling of the ticket cost is also designed to discourage this practice.

People want to live downtown these days. At least ten condo developments have gone up and filled with residents over the last fifteen years. Norman Street, Federal Street, Derby Street, Central Street and multiple places on Essex Street and Washington Street all boast these new residences.

Some downtown condo owners have stepped forward to protest the proposal. They are unhappy with the proposed lower fees in the garages. If downtown workers are drawn to the garages by the lower fees, the condo owners fear that their deeded, but not guaranteed spaces in the garage will be compromised. That argument has some merit, since the garages will, in theory, be used by more vehicles.

The arrangements made to create condo parking for these new units were not adequate. That is undeniable. Some of the condo owners signed contracts for deeded spaces that were apparently not guaranteed. Some residents at one condo building feel that they were misinformed of this situation, while others in the same building say otherwise. The condo residents who came forward at this week's City Council meeting represent a  minority in their own building. That doesn't mean their view should be discounted, but that fact should be taken into consideration.

A few years ago, an informal study of the parking situation in Salem was conducted independent of the City. This study determined that the problem was not a dearth of available spaces. The problem was everyone wanted to park in the same two or three blocks while the garages and outlying lots were barely used.

This year, another study was conducted in a more formal manner. It came to the very same conclusion.

Something will give in this tug of war before the summer is over. We will all be affected when these changes, whatever they  may be, are enacted. Let your councilor and the Mayor's office know where you stand. 

If you remain silent, then your voice in Salem will not be heard.