Parking in Downtown

[Dogs On Wheels]

I cant stand the parking people in the city. They are ruthless. All are nasty and on a power trip. I know they have a job to do and it creates revenue for the city, but its how they do, and go about their job is the problem.

After reading that article that was posted 'Greenville with envy' I think I would much rather have meters.

[RestedTraveler]

After reading that article that was posted 'Greenville with envy' I think I would much rather have meters.

Or a 4 hour limit instead of just 2?

[goodbye]

I'll take these people anyday over what we used to have in downtown. What is the main problem you see, Dogs On Wheels? (BTW, you have the BEST hot dogs in the Upstate! Loved the 'everything dog' today!)

[Dogs On Wheels]

Well not so much for everyday people that come to the city to shop, but I guess I mean for the local people that work there, and I dont mean the buisness types that use the garages but the restuarants and shops. They;ve given me about 12 tickets since I started the cart in downtown. Ive seen them give the guy that owns the Jamican Place a ticket for being about 10 mintues late in a 15 minute spot just so he could unload some supplies to his store.

Now Its not that they dont know who we are or what we drive. They know, but they could care less. I'm not looking for special treatment and its not like Im looking to park in a 2hour spot for the whole day but there are times where you get tied up. They just wont help out the people that work there on a day to day basis. Just trying to make a living.

One of the guys gave me 3 tickets in a 2 hour span. The guy knew it was me. They drive by me at least 50 times a day. You think after the first one he would have told me it was a 30 minute and not a 2 hour. Ok fine, give the first one but 3. Gimmie a break. Just Power trips.

Sorry had to vent that out. They drive me nuts.

Thanks for the compliment on the dogs. I really appreciate that. I've wondered if anyone from here has stopped there. I hope it was me that served you.Well Thanks.

[goodbye]

WOW! This is disappointing! They ought to take care of you guys better than that. They really have a rotten attitude when they could first simply explain why your vehicle needs to move. I sure would be frustrated as well. The only thing I know to do is petition the city leaders (check greatergreenville.com) and ask them to find an alternative.

BTW, I've stopped several times and absolutely LOVE your dogs!

[DT-Gville]

Yesterday, I saw 2 cars parked on River Street in the BIKE LANE!!! And, get this, no tickets on their cars. Couldn't believe it. There is absolutely no excuse for that when the Richardson Street garage is just up the street and FREE (and it had plenty of empty spaces).

[RestedTraveler]

Yesterday, I saw 2 cars parked on River Street in the BIKE LANE!!! And, get this, no tickets on their cars. Couldn't believe it. There is absolutely no excuse for that when the Richardson Street garage is just up the street and FREE (and it had plenty of empty spaces).

This is an every-sunday occurance on Richardson Street, unfortunately. I've voiced my opinion on this in the past on here and it didn't seem to be a popular opinion. I agree though...with the Richardson Street Garage just across the street and FREE on weekends, this doesn't make much sense for the bike lanes to (or any other traffic lanes) to be filled with parked cars.

BTW... DOW: I've not said anything, but I've had a few of your hotdogs, too. I dig the brand name of your root beer, btw. Pretty cool, considering your location.

[Chickenwing]

This is why I rarely go downtown.

[goodbye]

This is why I rarely go downtown.

Could you further explain your reason? Unless I am missing something, there has not been a shortage of parking in downtown for many years. I believe the complaint above was referencing the Sunday morning parallel parking along streets normally reserved for moving automobiles and cyclists. There is still plenty of unused space in the garages, if I have heard/read correctly.

[goodbye]

Well not so much for everyday people that come to the city to shop, but I guess I mean for the local people that work there, and I dont mean the buisness types that use the garages but the restuarants and shops. They;ve given me about 12 tickets since I started the cart in downtown. Ive seen them give the guy that owns the Jamican Place a ticket for being about 10 mintues late in a 15 minute spot just so he could unload some supplies to his store.

Now Its not that they dont know who we are or what we drive. They know, but they could care less. I'm not looking for special treatment and its not like Im looking to park in a 2hour spot for the whole day but there are times where you get tied up. They just wont help out the people that work there on a day to day basis. Just trying to make a living.

One of the guys gave me 3 tickets in a 2 hour span. The guy knew it was me. They drive by me at least 50 times a day. You think after the first one he would have told me it was a 30 minute and not a 2 hour. Ok fine, give the first one but 3. Gimmie a break. Just Power trips.

Sorry had to vent that out. They drive me nuts.

Thanks for the compliment on the dogs. I really appreciate that. I've wondered if anyone from here has stopped there. I hope it was me that served you.Well Thanks.

After talking with several of the artists in the new Art Crossing at RiverPlace, there is a definite problem which needs to be addressed concerning parking of business owners'/employees' vehicles. If you want to continue to grow a wide range of businesses downtown, some people will find it difficult to pay the $70 (?) per month for unlimited parking without hassle. It may not be as bad overall though, as most businesses turn plenty of profit to afford the extra expenditure.

[Chickenwing]

Could you further explain your reason? Unless I am missing something, there has not been a shortage of parking in downtown for many years. I believe the complaint above was referencing the Sunday morning parallel parking along streets normally reserved for moving automobiles and cyclists. There is still plenty of unused space in the garages, if I have heard/read correctly.

Why certainly! Because I don't like to walk multiple blocks to get where I am going, thus the free parking is out. And I don't like to pay for parking, because it just annoys me!

So in other words, I am lazy and I am cheap.

[goodbye]

...

So in other words, I am lazy and I am cheap.

And you're missing out on lots of JOY in your life as well.

[Dogs On Wheels]

BTW... DOW: I've not said anything, but I've had a few of your hotdogs, too. I dig the brand name of your root beer, btw. Pretty cool, considering your location.

Thanks,

Thats the only reason I bought that particular brand of rootbeer was for the name. They make a Main Street Cream Soda too but I cant find it in cans, just 2 litre bottles.

Thanks for stopping.

[charlie swords]

This is an every-sunday occurance on Richardson Street, unfortunately. I've voiced my opinion on this in the past on here and it didn't seem to be a popular opinion. I agree though...with the Richardson Street Garage just across the street and FREE on weekends, this doesn't make much sense for the bike lanes to (or any other traffic lanes) to be filled with parked cars.

BTW... DOW: I've not said anything, but I've had a few of your hotdogs, too. I dig the brand name of your root beer, btw. Pretty cool, considering your location.

i believe this is parking for the church....if you get out there around 11...richardson street is packed and the street is lined with cars, it was this way before the bike lanes were introduced also. I think since the church has been there so long and this is the bible belt (so we let churches do whatever they want) that the city allows it for the few hours a week that it happens.

Also...paying for parking does suck, i know b/c the city only gave each unit in 155 riverplace 1 space in the garage (i won't even go into why this is stupid) therefore i have to lease an additional space.....why? So i avoid getting parking tickets, sorry folks this is just how life is...deal with it. Parking here is cheaper than in most cities and most cities don't even offer any free parking, so be happy with what you have. If you don't want parking tickets than don't park for too long where you're not supposed to. Anybody looking into opening a business downtown should have looked into the parking situation and added that expense into their plan (just as i had to do before my wife and i decided to move downtown), if they didn't than no one can be blaimed but them and certainly not someone else that is doing the job they were paid to do the way they were told to do it........bottom line: get over it and pay for the parking or pay for the tickets when you get them.

[Chickenwing]

And you're missing out on lots of JOY in your life as well.

I don't know about that ... my son turned one month old today!

Actually, I will probably make more treks downtown starting in the spring, when we can enjoy it as a family. (When my wife was pregnant, she didn't really want to get out in the summer heat!)

[goodbye]

I don't know about that ... my son turned one month old today!

Actually, I will probably make more treks downtown starting in the spring, when we can enjoy it as a family. (When my wife was pregnant, she didn't really want to get out in the summer heat!)

That is great! Greenville is popular among many family circles. Everywhere you go, you see parents pushing strollers around. These are hopefully the next generation of Greenville residents, business owners, and leaders.

Charlie swords, you presented a valid perspective in the parking debate. Paying extra for unlimited parking may be hard for some individuals, but to operate a business in downtown Greenville, one must expect at least a little sacrifice for the added pleasure. I still am disappointed that the parking attendents show no courtesy for local business owners though. Attitude is often everything in a relationship, and can either help or hinder production.

[charlie swords]

Charlie swords, you presented a valid perspective in the parking debate. Paying extra for unlimited parking may be hard for some individuals, but to operate a business in downtown Greenville, one must expect at least a little sacrifice for the added pleasure. I still am disappointed that the parking attendents show no courtesy for local business owners though. Attitude is often everything in a relationship, and can either help or hinder production.

...if they show courtesy or lenience towards downtown business owners, shouldn't they show it to residents also, i'm downtown all the time pouring money into to those businesses...but wait then they also have to give to employees of those businesses b/c they're helping run those businesses...it's a trickle down effect that only ends when you give free parking to everyone which takes money away from the city and also causes mass parking chaos.....if it's good for one group of people, it's good for them all...consumers, residents, business owners and all. I think our parking system seems to be fine.

[btoy]

I live downtown, and spend alot of time downtown for work and even more just going out and having a good time. And I have never had any issues with parking what so ever. And I never pay to park. So maybe since I do not have an office downtown or any reason to by down there during the day for more than two hours I don't see the issue, but even when I have to pay I get validation. So I just do not see what the problem is.

[Greenville]

I find the parking debate amusing, because as charlie swords said, most cities do not even have free parking (much less fairly abundant free parking we have in Greenville). Paying to park in a city of reasonable size and importance should be expected, and if a city has places to park that are free, then it should be looked at as an added luxury - not an expectation or a right.

To give you a point of comparison, in downtown Charleston there isn't much free parking. There are metered spots (which are free on evenings I believe, but they are next to impossible to obtain on weekends), and there are parking garages (which are never free, not even on evenings and weekends). In residential areas, you are supposed to have a residential permit to park there. Sometimes people park in these areas and take their chances, but I have seen people get tickets doing this. If you go downtown on a Friday or Saturday night, you either pay to park in a building or a pay lot, you drive around until a decent space becomes available, or you park 8-10 blocks away from your destination and walk (if you can find a free space). So basically, you pay to park in Charleston. And honestly, this should be expected. It should also be expected in Greenville when going out on Friday or Saturday night, but instead you can park in one of the many parking buildings for free and be close to where you are going. Greenville has it great, trust me.

[linkerjpatrick]

I sometimes have to go downtown during the weekdays to meet friends or clients for lunch. It's almost impossible to get a space on Main Street without having to resort to "cruising". I usually find a good spot on Brown or Coffee Streets. The two hour limit is kind of annoying however as I am always on edge about going over that 2 hour limit and getting a ticket or a boot. I wouldn't mind paying a little extra to park and wouldn't mind of they offered a yearly decal or something. Meters would be just as annoying as the two hour limit a some meetings may go over the limit.

[erm1981]

The funny thing is that when we built riverplace we couldnt hardly ever find anywhere to park in order to be able to go work on the building. I think this is dumb to treat the people that are actually building the buildings for you like this. We have had really bad things happen with the ticket people that ride around on the stupid little golf carts. When we build McBee station we shouldnt have as big a problem.

[breed]

Maybe people perceive parking as an issue because they are always wanting the free space. Sure, people can go and park in a garage for a buck or two. But if they keep driving around downtown, a free one is bound to become available eventually. When one doesn't turn up, people get annoyed.

It does strike me as odd that during the day, parking on the street is free, but it costs to park in the garages. I would think that it would make more sense to have the reverse. We have gobs of underutilized parking downtown.

If the street spaces were metered and the garages weren't, downtown would accomodate much more traffic.

[linkerjpatrick]

Maybe people perceive parking as an issue because they are always wanting the free space. Sure, people can go and park in a garage for a buck or two. But if they keep driving around downtown, a free one is bound to become available eventually. When one doesn't turn up, people get annoyed.

It does strike me as odd that during the day, parking on the street is free, but it costs to park in the garages. I would think that it would make more sense to have the reverse. We have gobs of underutilized parking downtown.

If the street spaces were metered and the garages weren't, downtown would accomodate much more traffic.

That would be fine with me but I think the city believes they can get more revenue from multi-level garages.

[cdude9409]

I went downtown today and their were at least 15 empty free parking spots on Broad St. right across from the Peace Center. Whoever thinks parking downtown is a problem, they need to wake up, smell the roses, and get out to other cities more. Either that or their to lazy to park and walk a block or two. No wonder people in this country are getting so fat.

[RestedTraveler]

...No wonder people in this country are getting so fat.

It could be all of the many different dining options we have and the fact that this area, culturally, loves to dine out on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening... I don't know about y'all, but I'm working on dropping 4 lbs per week for the next 26 weeks, myself. If I have to park a couple of blocks (or miles) from my destination, sobeit.