Parking along Lafayette Boulevard
Not so fast.
The city of Detroit is considering raising parking tickets for expired meters from $20 to $45, but on Monday residents expressed outrage at a public hearing, the Detroit Free Press reports.
Opponents say the hikes will drive out residents and complained that there aren't enough spaces, Joe Guillen of the Detroit Free Press reports.
The Freep writes:
Jerry Belanger, who owns buildings that house Cliff Bell’s jazz club, the Park Bar and Bucharest Grill, was among roughly 30 people at the hearing. He talked about employees in the area who have to constantly feed meters during their shifts.
“We’re going to let the poorest people pay the most,” Belanger said. “When really, if you have an address on your license that you live in the city of Detroit, you ought to have a card that says you can park in these streets — for free! We’re going in the wrong direction.”
A $10 discount for prompt payment also would be eliminated. Double-parking fines would jump from $30 to $45.
Downtown business owners speaking out include Sarida Scott Montgomery, co-founder of Good People Popcorn, which opened five years ago on Beaubien Street just north of Jefferson Avenue. "it's terrible for our team and our customers," she posts on a Facebook discussion about the parking proposal.
-- A.L.
