More parking nightmares
Last night as we left Somoto, we came upon this scene: two or three parking attendants with flashlights giving out parking tickets. With flashlights -- like thieves in the night. These were the old fashioned meters still left on some streets. Guess they were giving Grove diners a little surprise after their meal.
This one guy above posed for me, but I blocked his face because he is just doing his job and I didn't want to single him out. Below you can see him and another parking attendant arguing with a guy who was getting a ticket.
I really feel the whole Grove parking situation is keeping people away. Either there are no parking spots or the meters are broken or they are stalking you with flashlights. I guess free parking isn't the answer because then people would park and never give up their spots, they are sort of forced out now by the time limit.
posted by Tom Falco at 8:22 AM
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17 Comments:
Many businesses in our Grove Village are suffering from not having enough customers.
We really should do a much better job of helping to promote our Grove Village as a friendly, convenient, entertaining and safe place to visit, shop and dine.
Shopping in the Grove must be made into a much better experience if we wish to compete with the Gables and South Beach.
I vote that we should be willing to remove all the parking meters altogether.
We should be rewarding people that wish to visit our village and patronize our businesses.
We need not punish our guests with not enough parking, expensive parking meters, broken meters, parking tickets and the exorbitant cash only fees that are required to retrieve your vehicle from the evil towing services.
The revenues lost from not having parking meters and parking tickets can be made up with the increased business and increased revenues generated by more sales and the more taxes collected.
Many quality communities around the country dispense with parking meters and tickets to help them promote a friendlier atmosphere and thank customers for their business.
Coconut Grove should do the same.
Harry Emilio Gottlieb
Coconut Grove
there are at least 3 parking garages in the grove, none of which i've never had a problem parking at. also, last year they planted giant, like giant in you cannot miss them, blue signs pointing you to the garages. if people can't figure out how to use the meter, like the guy in your picture, that's not a fixable problem, you can't fix dumb.
I basically agree with HEG, however, why not consider other alternatives like the city sub-leasing and promoting parking such as the Mayfair one near the old News Cafe, etc., subsidizing it at $1.50/hr so that we can expand the space itself? Because, right now, even if parking were free, there is just not enough space in Coconut Grove, period!
Marcelo Salup
I hate going to the Grove because of the parking. But it's mainly because it's so hard to find, not necesarily that I have to put money in the meter. Although I suppose if I didn't have to also be worried about the meter expiring it would make the experience nicer and I might stay longer and spend more money there.
I agree with Jonathon. There is PLENTY of parking in the Grove. A long time ago, I tried to make a visual map indicating all of the garages available, but my illustration skills on the PC suck big time and it never got done. The main problem is that many people are too goddamn lazy to walk a few blocks from a garage that may be on the outer edges of the Grove. Get some exercise and walk it!
You have to be a special breed of person to be a meter person and give tickets to people and ruin their day.
There is plenty of reasonably priced parking in the Grove. If you don't pay your meter, you may get a ticket, get over it. Pay the meter or park in a garage and you wont have that problem.
What would really stimulate grove business is a metrorail stop right in the business district, but obviously that is not feasible. Wish they would have thought of this when they designed the metrorail way back when. The stop on 27th ave and US-1 is useless, no one is walking from there to the grove
By you blocking his face, you make it seem as if he is some type of night prowler.
There should be no shame in one doing their job.
Yes, that's just what we need, a huge massive mass transit stop right in the center of this tiny village. Good thinking, Server. NOT.
if we got rid of the meters businesses would suffer more because employees and residents would take all the parking, never move, and no one could park
Agrred. Although I never suggested a "Huge, massive" stop in the grove. The best Idea I could think of would be a small metromover type offshoot of the main line running from the 27th/US-1 stop, to perhaps the corner of 27th and Day. I wouldnt mind if there was a small platform on that corner. But again, this is not really a practical idea.
Like I said Grapevine, its not feasible, I wasnt really suggesting that this be built. It was really just a idealistic fantasy idea of having my cake and eating it too - convenient public transportation to the area businesses, without being obtrusive.
But as I said, its not feasible.
Well an overpass on US 1 would help at 27th Ave. And maybe a trolly going up and down after the renovation if that ever happens.
Sometimes we all forget about the expiration time on the meter. If that happens, I expect to find a ticket on my car. If there is no ticket, I dance the jig.
There is free trolley service from both metrorail stations. I like to ride my bike, but the bike racks are disappearing.
The "free" trolley costs a quarter. Still a good deal.
This set of messages really highlights the hypocrisy of many grove-livers. First off you complain that not enough people are visiting the grove, then you complain that it's because there are policemen enforcing the meter parking. then there isn't enough parking to begin with (like, you think there will be more when people don't have to pay?), then it's the dreadfull MASS TRANSIT ruining our peaceful village.
Let me tell you something about villages: they don't depend on outsiders coming to buy things at national chain stores in their malls. Villages are self sufficient, and don't have massive parking structures at their heart. Coconut Grove is not a village. it is a neighborhood in a city. If the metrorail or mover came to the grove it could be much more walkable and nobody would need to worry about parking any more.
How about residential parking stickers that give residents l5 min. free parking after they put in a quarter so they can run their errands.
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