Parking Authority driving out businesses and residents of core area

Here are our latest findings about the WPA and how yet another struggling neighborhood is being gouged and treated with no respect.

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From: Kim the Traffic Reporter

To: Talk@kick.fm

hello marty;

On April 22/10 I did a little walkabout in the Exchange area, this is what I found:

Start: 12.10 Finish: 2.45pm

Around the Salvation Army I found Main St. was the only area with meters. Maple, Henry, Austin and Henry East of Main St. remained a time limited zone.

The WRHA building is right across the street from the Salvation Army. There are no meters on Higgins.

Looked at Union Gospel Mission on Princess between Higgens and Henry. There are 2 paystations, one on the east, one on the west side. According to Greg Stetski the Executive Director of the Mission there had never been a parking problem. Mr. Stetski said that "most of the people who come here are don't have any money for a car". The area up until late summer or early fall of 2009 had been a time limited area.

The Parking Authority did tell Union Gospel Mission the paystations were put in because of the WRHA building and that they (p.a) didn't know what the parking patterns will be, that the Mission could potentially have vehicles parked in front of their building. Mr. Stetski was told that "the parking authority would re-evaluate to see if the paystations are needed".

Union Gospel Mission does have a small parking lot, the P.A.. provided 10 special permits for on-street parking.

According to Mr. Stetski there has been no change in parking around the Mission, doesn't understand why the paystations were needed and would prefer the paystations not be there. No hint of a potential hike in parking rates was ever mentioned.

At the time I was in the area, no cars were parked. Cost of machines $30 000.00

Siloam Mission is next door to Union Gospel, at the time I was in the area Siloam was serving lunch. I did note that on the East side of Princess there was one paystation, in front of Siloam were time limited loading zones. Cost of machine $15 000.00, one vehicle was parked.
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Street by street analysis

Definitions:
c: vehicles
m: permits
p/s: paystations
n: nothing..no reciept, no permits..possible for pay by phone
h: handicap

Henry:
Dead End (near Main St.) to King
c: 2
m: 1 special permit
p/s: 1 (15 000)

Princess to King
c: 0
p/s: 1 (15 000) number 4923 not functioning

Princess to Stanley
c: 0
p/s: 1 (15g)
Businesses complaining about paystations. Couriers and delivery trucks are being ticketed, there is no loading zone available for use. By-law 6547/95 10(d) allows for duly lic. commercial vehicles to load/unload if no lane to serve the property.

Stanley to Lizzie
c: 0
p/s:1 (15g)

Lizzie to Fountain
c: 3
n: 2
m: 1
p/s: 1 (15g)

Past Fountain Henry becomes a limited time zone. One sign on each block, no connecting signs to indicate the start or finish of the zone. Enforcement would be "iffy".

Stanley:
Higgens to Henry
c: 3
n: 2
p/s: 2 (30g)

Henry to Logan
c: 0
p/s: 2 (30g

Fountain:
Logan to Alexander
c: 2
n: 1
h: 1 no receipt
p/s: 2 (30g)
Restaurant (Cheers) was told meters placed because of WRHA building on Main St., complaints to the parking authority were not adequately addressed and or ignored. See below for more notes (Marty this is one place for a good meal. Cleanest restaurant I've seen in a long time..food was really good and the highest praise..good coffee).

Ellen:
Logan to Alexander
c: 1
m: 1
p/s: 1 (15g)
Street appears to be broken by a back lane or alley

Ellen, Alexander to Pacific
c: 0
p/s: 1 (15g)
NO SIGNAGE AT ALL. Meter 4907 is NOT functional. Area is NOT enforceable.

Ellen, Pacific to Ross
c: 1
h: 1 no receipt
p/s: 1 (15g)

Ross to Elgin
c: 4
m: 3
p/s: 1 (15g)

Alexander:
King to Ellen
c: 3
p/s: 4 (60g)
no metered spaces west of Ellen

Logan:
King to Fountain
c: 0
p/s: 8 (120g)

Pacific:
Princess to Paulin
c: 4
n: 2
p/s: 1 (15g's)

Paulin to Ellen
c: 0
p/s: 2 (30g's)
Two signs indicate 2h 9-1730 m-s, one sign closer to Ellen by meter 4942 indicates 1h 9-1730 m-f.

This area is not taggable. Signs are not compatible.

Ross:
Princess to Ellen
c: 3
p/s: 3 (45g)
Signs read 12h m-s. This is a 24 hour a day sign.

Note from MARTY:
THIS STREET IS UNDER A 24 HOUR PAY THE WPA REGIME -- INCLUDING SUNDAYS. That's right, they pay on Sundays.

HOWEVER -- THE CITY BYLAW PROHIBITS CHARGING A FEE FOR PARKING AT THOSE TIMES/DAYS.

I HAVE 2 RECEIPTS, AS SEEN BY COUN. BROWATY, THAT THE RESIDENTS OF 300 BLOCK ROSS AVENUE PAY TO PARK IN FRONT OF THEIR HOMES AFTER 5.30 PM AND UNTIL 9 AM, AND ALL DAY ON SUNDAYS TOO.

THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED IN THE CITY -- AND THE RESIDENTS WERE NEVER CONSULTED.

William:
Princess to Ellen
c: 2
p/s: 5 (75g)

Note residents indicated that paystations on Pacific and Ross were due to the students parking all day from Red River College.

Marty's Note to councillors: the block immediately west of RRC, in front of Foon Hai chinese restaurant, has an inexplicable 2 hour limit, that applies all the way overnight until 7 AM. There is NO logic for this restriction.

KIM's totals:

Total cost of paystations for the streets covered 'LOGAN AREA': $615, 000.00.

Total cost of paystations for streets covered East (report to be filed) and West side of Main:
$1 0005 000.00.

Total number of vehicles counted on streets covered -- West side of main: 30

Kim's NOTES:

* Sun Chemical: Located on Henry between Princess and Stanley

I was told this paystation is inconvenient, hurts business because his delivery vehicles have no place to unload the couriers and their 5 ton truck. They keep getting tickets for unloading. Nobody parks there anymore though the enforcement staff do come around.

Last year it would seem that the bike patrol was in the area.

* Cheers Restaurant, Corner of Logan and Fountain.

Was told that they signed a petition to have the paystations removed. They contacted the parking authority, emailed Dave Hill as well as their councillor Mike Paktighan. The replies were sent through the councillor. According to Peter the son of the owner, the letters were uninformative almost like a form letter.

They did not address the issues but instead spoke of Logan not Fountain.

Peter sent a final email and has had no response. Peter was told the paystations were put in because of the WRHA building which is on Main St.

Fountain is located nearer to Isabel.

The owner told me that residents are now starting to park their cars on her parking lot which is causing a problem for her customers. She told me that some of the businesses on Logan are experiencing some difficulties because people don't come to them anymore, they don't want to pay for the parking. I was also told that 3 people moved off Fountain because they didn't have anywhere to park.

Because the restaurant is seeing vehicles that don't belong they are afraid they could lose business because their customers won't pay for parking and they are having to ask people to move off the lot.

Contact:

Peter Kavadas (son of the owner)

ALSO

From: Captain Audio

Re: comments from Sun chemical and Cheers Restaurant no included in count

To: Talk@kick.fm

Date: Thursday, April 29, 2010, 2:37 PM

I stopped in to Cheers restaurant today. Peter echoed his comments he made to Kim. Some other points he made to me...

•He estimates the restaurant is losing $350 per day

•City/hydro workers etc. that used to come for lunch, now don't because they can't park oversized vehicles in the lot and the street ain't free no more.

•He talked to the PA about neighbourhood people using his lot. PA told him "monitor your lot"

•Peter's Mom spoke of a Senior on Ellen who would get meals delivered to her house. The Mom says the Senior is having trouble getting volunteers to come because of the parking machines.

•Back lanes are now packed with cars trying to avoid paying (what if there's an emergency?)

•I saw a PA guy sitting in his car on Ellen. Seemingly waiting for someone to park on street without paying.

•I saw no cars parked on Fountain between Logan and Alexander. Two Vehicles on same stretch of Ellen. Both seemed to have a pass of some kind. Lots of revenue there, jesus!

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Thursday at 4 PM:
- Coun. Jeff Browaty responds to these issues AND and he will explain how he saw proof that the WPA's mobile "spy camera" technology is issuing improper overtime parking tickets;
plus
- Barrett Fraser of 360 Winnipeg.ca with "New Media Perspectives" at 4.10 ,and
- 'That Wine Guy', Campbell Alexander, joins us at 5.25.

and for our blog readers, as a special bonus, the first person to email talk@kick.fm in response to this post will win a copy of the beautiful book RETROPEG, the 1970's pictorial essay about Winnipeg, AND a copy of 92.9 Kick-FM's compilation of local music CD, HomeSpun2.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!