Parking rates going up

Services have costs, I get that.  It makes sense that downtown streets have parking fees to ensure that the streets are clear for those who need them (if street parking was free, I imagine most streets would be lined by office workers not wanting to pay for parking lot or parking garage spaces).

Perhaps the new fees for parking in Saint John are reasonable compared to other cities and won’t change visit patterns to the city center.

However, I think it’s a shame we’re increase parking fees at the same time as cutting down bus services. In the long term if you were to increase the cost of driving into the city centre, and offered a good alternative – such as frequent cost effective city transit – you could change the communities car culture.  With more costly parking and less bus routes, we may be encouraging people to stay home, or force them to walk.  And from the Saint Johners I know, more walking isn’t likely going to be the choice.