Comments on: Lakeshore Businesses Protest Parking Hikes and Talk of A General Strike

By: Oakland North » City Council to take on Oakland’s parking problem

Oakland North » City Council to take on Oakland’s parking problem — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:38:15 +0000

[...] residents may take some small measure of comfort in knowing their City Council is aware of the discontent regarding the parking measures that went into effect on July [...]

By: Richard Daley, Six Dollar Parking Rates and the Dark Side of Chicago Politics « Cook County and Beyond

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 17:47:46 +0000

[...] of this are far more than just angry Chicago citizens and higher rates. The results will be a loss of revenue for both businesses and Chicago. On June 30th 2009, the city of Oakland, California, decided to [...]

By: Allen Michaan

Allen Michaan — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:27:27 +0000

So JK, you think that it is better to be silent and let my customers be caught with a $55.00 ticket than to warn them? Once they get the ticket then they will NEVER return to our neighborhood! This issue is not just a 50 cent rise in parking rates but rather a quasi secret change in hours of meter enforcement accompanied by a tidal wave of ticketing everyone possible even though in many instances there was no way for folks to know about the new hours.Parking citations have become a racket.
The city has certainly “mugged” thousands of victims since this began and our council members should be ashamed of themselves!
Hey Art, good news for you, you will no longer have to look for a parking space on Grand Avenue as this policy has driven away so many former customers that you will now find less than 50% of the spaces open most of the time. Even better for you the lot behind the theater on Walker Ave. is now 75% empty.Of course this may not be of much help if your favorite stores and restaurants go out of business.
The city will lose much more than it gains if it persists in this policy of decreasing retail activity.There are so many municipalities in close proximity that are happy to see former Oakland shoppers support their sales tax base. Once again Oakland loses because it’s leaders don’t think before creating a disaster.
Allen Michaan
Grand Lake Theater

By: Merchants are wrong about parking meter fees « FutureOakland

Merchants are wrong about parking meter fees « FutureOakland — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:41:36 +0000

[...] upset merchants themselves date their decline in business to before the meter fees were increased. Several say that business has declined since the beginning of July, when the Master Fee Schedule was passed. But the fees didn’t come into effect until July 11; it [...]

By: JK

JK — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:10:11 +0000

Allen Michaan is a self-destructive fool. Ever stop to think that, if you are concerned about the rise in parking rates driving away customers, it might not be such a good idea to make a big public brouhaha issue, lest potential customers catch wind of the story and heed your implied warning to stay away? Even worse, he keeps accusing the city of “mugging” Oakland shoppers. Dredging up the common misconception that Oakland is a scary and dangerous place, and directly associating that violence with the shopping districts, isn’t going to do a damn thing to improve their performance. Grand Lake business owners would be wise not to follow this guy’s lead.

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:06:26 +0000

The parking hikes ARE ridiculous. Specially when you have to pay after 6PM! Also raised are the parking penalties. They are now over $55 for a simple over the meter time violation. Also, they are sending out even more meter enforcement officers. Meanwhile the police are doing little for the high amount of moving violations that occur in Oakland and actually endanger people. As usual the hardworking taxpayer that shops at local businesses gets hurt the most. The city has to stop being so arrogant and dipping into our pockets every time they can’t balance the budget. What did they do the last several years when there was record property tax income and development fees? They wasted it! Dellums signed this measure and is ultimately responsible – where in the hell is he?

By: Art

Art — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:23:53 +0000

Ray, the meters and signs should both have the new information on them—if they don’t (and I’ve heard that this is a problem in many parts of the city), you should definitely snap a photo and let the city know. They should update it (and may well rescind your ticket too). I thought most of Grand Lake was on meter machines now, too—so possibly the meters where you are (Lake Park?) are off their radar for some reason? Good to let them know either way. Also let them know about the nickel/dime problem—that may be a problem with the meter itself not registering the coins (which would also not be a first) since I know the meters near us still take these.

By: Ray

Ray — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:57:06 +0000

I do not know how the new parking rates and hours were broadcasted. It would have been courtious of the city at minimum to have posted the new regulations on the meters. I am a business owner across from the park on Grand Ave. and found out the hard way. I also found out that the meters not longer credit you time for nickels or dimes you drop into the meters! Only quarters are accepted.

By: A

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 07:24:16 +0000

It’s not smart to pay $2 for parking, but it was fine paying $1.50 to park so you can spend $10 or $15 at a movie theater??

Brilliant.

By: Art

Art — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 07:39:48 +0000

Honestly? We live near Grand Lake. Business there has been down for months, and a number of businesses on both Grand and Lakeshore shuttered well before the increase kicked in—it’s the economy, not the parking fees. (Cyprus Pishdad’s observation is especially puzzling given that he hasn’t been open long—it seems entirely logical that a new business would have a great first month or two on the energy of being new and then see things dip.) While I feel for our local merchants, they are searching for a culprit here, and the parking fees are convenient. I don’t know of any of my neighbors who’ve stopped going to Oakland shops or restaurants because of the parking changes (and in the case of Grand Lake, many of us bike or walk there anyway—there are lots and lots of people who live within easy walking distance of the district). More notably, the few times I’ve driven to Grand Lake since the fees increased, finding a meter spot was just as tedious as always. (Honestly, the tough part about Grand Lake parking isn’t the cost—it’s having to loop endlessly until you’re lucky enough to pass a spot as it’s opening up. I imagine quite a number of people would be happy to pay more to park in exchange for finding a spot right away, if the new fees really do decrease demand!)

I also am really irked by Grand Lake Theater’s “strike.” First, closing for the day seems far more likely to damage local businesses than to help them. (Kind of like when a shop in Temescal stopped collecting sales tax to protest City inaction on crime. Nice thought, except that sales tax dollars don’t go to the City—what doesn’t go to the state goes to the County to pay for BART, transportation improvements, and health care. Please, please do your research first, people!) And—to add insult to injury—the theater already *has* free parking, and has for years! So if they’re seeing a drop in business, it seems unlikely that it’s attributable to the parking fee increases.

I’m not psyched about higher parking fees and longer hours. But you know what I’m even less psyched about? Shutting Lakeview Library (and the other branches at risk) another day a week, cutting our arts programs and park maintenance, and chopping even more from our police budget. In time, cuts like these will take their toll on Oakland’s businesses, too, as residents leave the city altogether. Count me in as one Grand Lake resident who’s more than happy to pay my share in parking fees and any other fees we need to assess in order to keep those essential services intact.