There has been much tweaking of Nelson's parking-spaces/fees for some time: most meeting with a strong backlash from those who park. Or want to.
Now we are to have commuter-parking for a fixed fee on Cedar. With this concept arguable: the only public input possible - while indirect and late - is after the City's presentation to Council, in comments following online write-ups in both local papers. There and probably on facebook.
Some days later, this item in the Star has mysteriously disappeared - together with its comments. The explanation is unsatisfactory.
These comments - emphatic and poignantly questioning - ought to be real-time food for thought to the new wave at City Hall in charge of re-configuring parking for Nelson. Deja voo all over again!
Following are examples of what has increasingly irked the public parking-wise over years. To make them less receptive to new parking-bits.
Just rearranging the furniture won't do any longer.
While all those outside City Hall could get behind a parkade!
Park This! #1
When - Mar, 2014 - the Co-op applies to Council for a Nelson Commons parking-variance: this is a mere formality - because Dave Wahn, Manager of Development Services & Sustainability and Approving Officer, as well as the Co-op's enthusiastic flag-bearer at City Hall, has been working on this for a considerable time prior to the application. Ostensibly (coincidentally nudge-nudge!) reworking downtown-parking.
But really just running a show of smoke and mirrors. Seeing that the Co-op is going to ask for the required almost 200 parking-spaces to be cut by half - he will simply make spaces downtown shorter and narrower all the way down the rabbit-hole. Thus create more spaces elsewhere. The genius of it!
Council happily clucks its no-questions-asked approval. Followed by Wahn's so-there! comment after the fact: people will just have to buy smaller cars; this is the trend anyway. Cross my heart - he does say that!
Today's statistics have it: the demand for larger SUVs/trucks has been increasing steadily, so there!
Now the Co-op's 37 aboveground spaces frequently are full, while its underground-parking - entered/exited only driving east on Vernon - is cumbersome and disliked by customers.
Meaning: aboveground parking is overflowing into the neighborhood. Who would have known! Possibly even onto the just one block away Cedar stretch, now to be turned into fixed-fee commuter-parking.
Wahn's scheme to make downtown parking-spaces shorter and narrower dies quietly with Council's approval of the variance. So - when the current Development Services team talks about a general parking-redo: they are stuck with significant Co-op parking-reverberations in the downtown-core.
Almost 100 parking-spaces gone - thanks to City Hall!
Also see post
Dave Wahn, Prince Variant
4 Mar, 2014
Park This! #2
A price-increase of the seniors' parking-pass is approved by the current Council, without regard for those seniors - 20 Feb, 2017. This creates a s**t-storm of major proportions. Mayor Kozak's comment "Although some seniors live on fixed incomes, others have more money than many young people" is not helpful. A definitive "some" and "many".
Showing the disconnect between City Hall and this rapidly growing segment of Nelson's population. Duly noted and loudly expressed. By seniors. Who promise to remember come election-time.
Also see post
Seniors' Parking-Pass Increase
21 Feb, 2017
Park This! #3
After the sort-of completion of Hall St Phase 1 - the very downtown-core stretch of Hall between Herridge and Vernon has free parking for 42 cars, over the course of about 1 year. Meaning a significant loss of revenue, which could be applied to the same road-repairs the seniors' parking-pass increase supposedly is meant for - but who cares! Not City Hall!
Also meaning: just around the corner from Hall - on Baker and Vernon - people not only have to feed meters: seniors do it with their increase and the general public with an upped to $1.25.
Again see post
Seniors' Parking-Pass Increase
21 Feb, 2017
Park Council
While parking in Nelson has been a - literally - fundamental issue for decades, it has never been acknowledged constructively as that by City Hall and/or any Council. For the sake of future economic viability of the City - with increasing tourism a vital part - this must change consciously: growth on any level necessitates more cars, buses, trucks - and places for them to be left.
When Hall St Phase 2 is presented to Council for approval-or-not - even though the presentation is superficial and incomplete - Council shows few concerns and little interest. Approval of this thing seems yet another foregone conclusion. Until a couple of parking-spaces down there raise their energy-level righteously. They claim those spaces and promptly approve Phase 2!
Everybody happy now?
Yet certainly not these feelgood-lite spaces nor even the 21 on Cedar address current and inevitably larger future transportation concerns - private or commercial.
Our geographic urban constraints demand a parkade downtown - nothing less. With willingness as step one: a vision will coalesce, and the money will follow.
Everything else - no matter how well intended - is just more tweaking of already locked-in-for-good (for-bad, really) circumstances.
Also see post
Park(ade) This!
27 May, 2016
Image Credits -
historygraphicdesign.com
pixabay
Alex Thumm, Planning Analyst
athumm@nelson.ca
Pam Mierau, Development Manager
pmierau@nelson.ca
Deb Kozak,Mayor
dkozak@nelson.ca
City Council
nelsoncouncil@nelson.ca
Kevin Cormack, CAO
kcormack@nelson.ca
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