No Consensus On Solutions To Downtown Parking Woes

Thu., May 18, 1995

Doug Floyd Interactive Editor

Don’t be too hasty to blame downtown retail workers for monopolizing the 300 free curbside parking spots in the Spokane core.

Lee Johnson of Spokane thinks store employees - said to be the reason few consumers ever can find a free space - get a bum rap.

Meant for shoppers, those parking spots’ charge-free days are numbered if the City Council heeds a proposal to bring the meters back.

Says Johnson: “There are a vast number of brokerages, law offices, doctors, dentists, consultants, engineers, property managers and other thriving service businesses in the core of downtown. Any category has more daily customers than the relatively few free parking spots.

“My personal estimate is that about three people come downtown on business for each retail shopper. It is only normal that about 80 percent of the people who look for free short-term parking downtown are going to be disappointed.”

Regardless of the cause of the problem, opinions are divided.

Jim Gyarfas, Spokane: “Free parking should be curbed. You drive downtown at 8 in the morning - there isn’t a parking spot on the streets. I think meters ought to be reinstated to encourage turnover of parking.”

Usually the rule here is no anonymous comments. But a man who said he works downtown and sometimes uses the free spaces claimed, “It’s easy to beat the system. The meter guys, or women, never check after the first round between 7 and 9 or maybe 7 and 11,” he said. “After that, you’re free for the rest of the day.”

Marie Taylor, Spokane: “One solution they could use is to put in parking meters that only go for half an hour but leave them free. That might help.”

Mixed voices at the Mike

When Gov. Mike Lowry vetoed a bill intended to keep pornography out of minors’ hands, he said it threatened other legitimate expression. “Bagpipes” asked readers for their thoughts.

Eric Woodard, Spokane: “Instead of standing up there and beating his chest like a lot of the politicians are doing now about something that’s easy to beat your chest about, he takes a tough political stand on a bad bill and decides he’s going to do the right thing even though it’s unpopular. So I applaud Mike Lowry.”

Paul Unger, Spokane: “Gov. Lowry’s veto of the harmful-to-minors bill shows once again that when it comes to issues of morality, the governor has no conscience.”

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