Michelle Hocken, a downtown shoe store employee, doesn't look forward to paying double what she has to shell out every day for parking.
(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)
February 25, 2013 - 10:49 AM
"The customers have spoken," reads a roughly 100 signature petition spearheaded by Jeff Wuolle, owner of the Cracked Pot downtown Vernon. "You need to listen to the people," Wuolle states to city hall.
When Vernon council decided to double the parking rate from 50 cents to a dollar an hour, downtown businesses reared up in opposition. The increased parking fees petition reveals many customers are against the increase as well.
Comments like: "One more way to detour tourists," "Another cash grab," "Will hurt downtown businesses," and "Folks will shop Anderson Way instead," crowd the petition sheets.
One person suggested, "If council wants downtown to truly flourish, parking would be free and limited to one hour slots."
The petition requests council to "immediately halt any planned parking increases for the downtown parking fees" and seek other sources of spending cuts instead.
Wuolle will present the petition to council this afternoon.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca or call (250)309-5230
News from © iNFOnews, 2013