Is Coquitlam council throwing good money - taxpayers' money totalling in the tens of thousands of dollars - after bad with the city's latest plan for paid parking in Town Centre?
While that won't be fully determined until the Evergreen Line is running, history suggests Coquitlam residents should be skeptical at best, pessimistic at worst. And it suggests councillors might want to take a once-bitten approach.
Instead, the city's latest premise is this: "For years, we've lost money on pay parking at lots and curbside meters. Hey, let's have more pay parking."
Really?
While we understand the need for a plan to stop Evergreen Line commuters leaving their vehicles on Pinetree Way all day, we wonder how the city is going to turn years of negative cash flow into positive. Parking fairies?
And while we're at it, what about the inequities of pay parking in one area and not another - City Centre vs. Poirier pools, Evergreen Cultural Centre vs. Place des Arts, Town Centre vs. Austin Avenue commercial districts?
We'll drop a few coins in the meter while council figures this one out.
What do you think? Should the city of Coquitlam expand pay parking in the Town Centre area? Vote in our online poll.
