The latest parking fine proposal is surely a joke. The city of Durango parking department has dreamed up a plan to boot cars after 28 days of having an unpaid single ticket. Roy Peterson, of the city’s general services department, tells us this will provide better customer service. Was Peterson smoking one of the products soon to be offered downtown when he thought we might buy into that baloney? Does Peterson secretly have an agenda to give the impound lot a structure equivalent to the Transit Center? City Councilor Christina Rinderle must have been having her own out-of-body experience when she said that “this is a great idea for customer service,” (Herald, May 28)
Within the past year, the City Council has approximately doubled the rates for parking meters and also nearly doubled parking fines. Now, we are presented with the booting proposal, all under the guise of better parking turnover and improved parking satisfaction. I think we all know that parking fees, fines and penalties are nothing more than an enhanced way to put more money in the city coffers so politicians can find new ways to spend it. This latest proposal illustrates the never-ending goal of city administrators to look for new revenue. If I owned a downtown business, I would be worried. All of these newly increased penalties and fines are an effective way to send locals to businesses in outlying areas that provide free parking. We know how the public reacted to the plastic bag vote of the City Council. Perhaps it is time for a petition requesting a vote to eliminate all parking meters. I know how I would vote.
John Ritchey
Durango
