City ordinances have also been amended to allow for expansion of the current 1,200 parking meters to include more streets and possibly even lots for metered parking.
Concerning these proposed parking lots, City Traffic Engineer Robert Esparza states: "It’s better for the public, much safer for the handicapped, much safer for the kids when you park there. It’s controlled, you don't park in the streets with cars passing by and you have a lot better safety overall."
With the meter fees tripling, fines for non-payment are projected to increase from $5.00 to either $10.00 or $15.00. Currently, fees and fines generate over $500,000 annually in gross revenue for the city.
City employees, members of city boards, the disabled, the mayor and city commission and those who use the city's downtown post office are given free parking. There is also free parking available across from City Plaza and in the adjacent parking garage.
As recently as 2011, a candidate for City Commissioner, District 4, Tony Zavaleta, proposed free parking for downtown Brownsville: "As Brownsville City Commissioner for District 4, I will recommend an immediate moratorium be placed on all downtown parking meters, with an indefinite period of free parking to be put in place. During that time I would call for an examination of the city's total monthly parking meter revenue, versus the expense of meter readers and repair. In forcing people to pay for downtown parking, I believe the city gains little, and even loses money. On the other hand, if we want people to come to our downtown, free parking would be a reasonable start."
It is greediness before practical thinking or due diligence, as usual they are assuming or copy catting from some bigger City, $500,000.00 revenue is ridiculous after expenses Cost, maintenance and devaluation of the meters plus meter maids, head of department and secretaries salary, insurance and administrative costs of (stationary, envelopes, tickets printing Etc.) it will probably leave a few thousands not worth the nuisance it causes to customers and business owners to keep up with the ridiculous 2 hours limit of the park meters, they would greatly increase revenue by increasing the limit on the park meters to 4 hours
ReplyDelete"It’s controlled, you don't park in the streets with cars passing by and you have a lot better safety overall."
ReplyDeleteAre we the 19th century trolley dodgers of Brooklyn who must fear for our collective lives? The above statement is the mantra, in a nutshell, of the city of Brownsville thanks to the car-free demands of our Supreme City Commission of Ministers. I remember listening to Tony Martinez at UTB's version of Valley Interfaith's accountability session professing his dream of no cars on International Blvd, a state highway no less.
Do the all encompassing Big They not want us to park in the streets in order to control our individual and preferred mode of transportation? I can't help but think Big They want to limit choice. Force feeding regression until we submit to obsessive, obedient use of our original mode of transportation -- walking on your own two feet. Do they want each and everyone of us crawling on all fours like a proto-monkey in the name of healthy, safe travel next?
While other cities are living in the 21st century, Brownsville, it seems, lives in a twilight zone cross between a communist manifesto nightmare and the Neogene Period.
You have to pay for the mayor's new office in some way...
ReplyDeleteMake downtown Brownsville an Historical State Park with a $5.00 entry fee. Add restrooms with $2.00 usage fee. Ban vehicle travel downtown, but allow cars to be parked in the city's metered lots. Rent tricycles with baskets to downtown shoppers with hourly and daily rates. Umbrellas may be rented with downtown maps free.
ReplyDeleteSo I pay $5.00 just to have the honor of entering downtown, then I pay $2.00 because I probably will need to use the restroom at least once, now we're at $7.00. Then I still have to pay for parking at .75 cents per hour, so lets say I am there for 4 hours, that's another $3.00, now we're at $10.00. Now you want me to rent tricycles with baskets at an hourly or daily rate and also rent umbrellas, probably another $10.00 all combined, so we're at $20.00 now and I haven't even started shopping...ohhh, but I get a free map! Give me a fucking break you idiot! Downtown will be be a ghost town with your plan.
DeleteAnonymous Dec 24, 2013 at 12:21 PM doesn't appear to comprehend the sarcasm of Anonymous December 24, 2013 at 11:19 AM.
ReplyDeleteAre you Officer Barbarady's next of kin?
Well you can call it sarcasm, I did not take it that way because there are city officials working to implement that kind of hairbrained idea, so don't be surprised when that sarcasm turns into reality.
DeleteWhen Antonio Martinez leaves office it will be the end of all these "brilliant ideas"? WHEN DOES HE LEAVE? Please close the door behind you mayor.
ReplyDeleteHow many of these people are up for elections in 2014? PLEASE LEAVE!!!!
(Make downtown Brownsville an Historical State Park with a $5.00 entry fee.)
ReplyDeleteHopefully, by the time the park comes into fruition, Dagoberto Barrera will be dead. And the park can be named after him, in his honor.
Dags.
Lets turn Elizabeth Street into The Brownsville Strip, just imaging the sight when coming from Matamoros thru the Gateway Bridge, seeing to your left a beautiful strip full of multicolor neon lights from the restaurant casinos that would come if they legalize gambling, glamorous night clubs with international artists shows, Olive Garden, TGI Friday, Out Back and many more upper end chain restaurants would come to downtown, people from San Benito, Harlingen and many Valley's Cities would come, but oh well it sound like sacrilege to old closed minds:-)
ReplyDeleteIt was about time parking fees went up. Our city has the lowest parking fees in the whole country!
ReplyDeleteWhat happens to ALL that $$$ they collect from the parking fees?! Is it for raising the salaries of the politicos? Is it going for their own personal use? ...Or are they going to build much needed multipurpose community health and after school centers within the colonias itself..., starting with one at "El Ramireno" and so forth! Who is monitoring those parking fee monies?! ...Or is this like the wolf taking care of the chickens at city hall, hmmmmm....?! INQUIRING GENTE MINDS WANT TO KNOW..., PERO YA!
ReplyDeleteE.F. Mohammed Martinez - Face Book: E.f. Mohammed Martinez
Roberto no es ingeniero...he likes to be called "licenciado", pero not "ingeniero"...
ReplyDelete