As citizens of Vernon, we are encouraged to support our community. We are encouraged to shop locally. The Downtown Vernon Association hosts various events throughout the year in an effort to attract a crowd away from big box stores or neighborhood strip malls. The Sunshine Festival, street buskers and Christmas Light-Up – are just a few such events and incentives. While these events may facilitate community spirit, I am not sure that it is pomp and circumstance that Vernonites need, so much as something of a much more practical nature.
A very simple reason people are dissuaded from shopping in downtown Vernon is parking. The recent increase in parking meter fees (from a quarter for half an hour to 50 cents for half an hour) may seem minimal, and some people may call the fees infinitesimal in comparison to major city centres. We, however, are not a major centre and I can guarantee you that parking has discouraged people from shopping or doing other business downtown.
Just to put things in perspective, when parking in downtown Kelowna and Salmon Arm, 25 cents pays for 30 minutes of parking time. Would it not make sense to stay in line with our neighboring Okanagan-Shuswap townships?
I am a person who believes in the concept of supporting the local economy, by shopping and eating locally when able. This is a matter of principle or philosophy, because it definitely doesn’t do the pocketbook any favours to shop at a downtown storefront versus a nationally competitive big box store. However, when you add the fact that 25 cents only buys you 15 minutes of time, there is direct impact on everyday shopping habits.
When faced with the additional stresses of finding a parking spot on a busy downtown street, and making sure you have the correct change, why not just go to a shopping centre for all of your grocery, pharmacy, banking, clothing, boutique, and eatery needs? Parking is ample and there will be no added stress during your shopping experience, no time spent wondering if you put enough money in the meter. No need to keep track of time and remember how much change you put in.
The stress of wondering if you put enough change in the metre most certainly puts a damper on the shopping/eating/coffee drinking/movie watching experience.
I would love to take a survey to find out how many people have been detoured from shopping downtown Vernon in favour of shopping centres based on the new parking fees or aggressive/non-lenient bylaw enforcement officers. I can’t help but add a side note here. I once found a white ticket under my wiper in Kelowna. I looked at it ready to groan in dismay, but found instead a warning. It said that my meter had expired, and I could have gotten a ticket , but instead just a warning to watch out next time. No such luck on these streets.
Informal discussions with various people are proof enough to me that such a survey would undoubtedly make for an interesting bar graph. Sometimes keeping it simple, is the best approach, and keeping our parking meter charges to 25 cents per half an hour and practising fair and lenient ticketing, are simple ways to encourage people to spend time, and hard-earned money in downtown Vernon.
Dawn Dunstan
Vernon
