No Free Meters Parking

Wilkes-Barre's Mayor Tom Leighton announced this week that the downtown will not have free parking during the holiday season.  Every year Wilkes-Barre puts away the ticket pads and allows people to park for free along the metered streets.  Instead the city will keep parking status quo with people getting whacked with tickets within seconds of the meters running out of money.  “Parking enforcement is necessary to increase turnover of spaces which is what drives economic opportunity for downtown merchants,” Administrative Coordinator Drew McLaughlin said. “The easy availability of parking is crucial to a productive holiday shopping season. Turnover of spaces generally decreases when meter fees are waived for an extended period of time.”  Mayor Leighton had said in previous years the program was an advantage to attract shoppers to the city during the busy holiday season.
The free parking continued each year to Jan. 2 with meter parking free from noon to 8 a.m. each day.
Leighton made the decision in the middle of the city’s financial struggle when layoffs are looming and real estate taxes could rise as much as 30 mills to cover an estimated $2 million revenue shortfall.  In addition, the City Council was handed and ordinance that would increase the cost of meter parking from $0.75 to $1.00 per hour.

So, what do the business owners and shoppers think?  John (Chump) Chaump, president of the Downtown Wilkes-Barre Business Association, said people will still shop in the downtown even though the free parking program is halted.  “I think people shop downtown because of the stores,” Chaump said. “However, I still believe the free parking was a plus.”  Chaump said the city told him some people/businesses actually complained about the free parking.  What the hell is this ass clown talking about?  What stores?  I bet you cannot name one good store to shop in!  I also want to know which businesses were complaining.  It must have been the tattoo parlor's and pawn shops.  The only reason a business would complain is because a Wilkes or Kings student may have parked in front of their soon to be doomed store.  Cut the students a break.     

Let me just say this, "These people are idiots"!  Wilkes-Barre is a ghost town after dark with only the Square Rats scurrying around the streets looking for a morsel of crack.  By taking away the free parking, you are plunging another dagger of despair into the hearts of the few business that are left.  Let's face it, Wilkes-Barre is in deep financial poopy and they are going to whack the people once again by taking away the free parking biscuit.  Why the hell would anybody want to shop in downtown Wilkes-Barre?  You can park at the Mall for free.  You can park at Target and Walmart for free.  Hell, you can park for free almost everywhere but Wilkes-Barre.  The mayor has taken away the fountain, the New Years Eve fireworks and now the free holiday parking.  He might as well rip down the Christmas tree to save on power.