Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Parking Wars Update

IT'S WORKING. OUR efforts to enforce the two-hour parking on Maine Street between Fifth and Sixth are paying off. In the more than five years we've been here, we've rarely seen open spaces during the weekday. This week, we've had customer after customer comment on how easy it was to park and how nice it is to be right in front of our building. Yesterday the UPS guy parked right in front of the WCU Building and delivered packages, instead of parking at the corner or simply in the street. Sheryl witness the look of shock on his face. He probably thought he was being punk'd.

If more people knew parking wasn't so bad downtown, then we'd have more customers. So ... we have parking! For now, anyway.

A Quincy Police Department officer issued 11 tickets Friday morning. Five more were issued Monday. Sheryl and I are watching the street, writing down tags and taking photos, and reporting violations.

Several times we've called and waited for an officer to show up. That's fine. They have important things to do and our parking issues are down the list, and we are patient. When they do show up, we very much appreciate their time and understanding. They have been great. We are supporters of our local law enforcement and We Back The Blue every chance we get.

We have no wish to make anybody mad. We just want the law to be enforced and for people who work down here to be courteous, respectful and to keep the customers in mind. I also walk the walk and I'm making sure to not park in front of our store, but up  the street where there is no parking limit.

Most importantly, this has been a group effort. One person complaining all the time does nothing to fix the problem. Second String Music, Ally's Boutique, Kristopher's, Martini's at 515, the businesses in the Maine Center and the clothing store across the street are all in this together. We reported violations for more than a week and remained polite and respectful during the process before action was finally taken, and we've learned that persistence pays off.

We are willing to talk about the parking issues and we appreciate everybody who has concerns, ideas and solutions to the issue.

No comments:

Post a Comment