I took these pictures this morning around 11:00 AM and as I have stated many times in the past, pictures don't lie.
I happened to notice this all week long and while running errands today I decided to take some pictures. Unfortunately, when people look up the history of Salisbury 10 or 20 years from now, this is what they're going to see.
You have to wonder, is the Mayor just sitting in his Office and ignoring the obvious? Are City Council Members doing the same? How many hundreds of thousands of dollars, (if not millions) have been put into Urban Salisbury. Are they blind as well?
Well, there's another side to this story. I guess things could be thriving so much so that you simply cannot find a parking spot anywhere Downtown and people would complain about that too.
In the mean time, stop writing tickets and pissing off the taxpayers and renters living Downtown and welcome those who are investing into rebuilding and supporting such a beautiful part of the Eastern Shore.
Since the spaces are empty and the parking lots aren't bringing in the revenue, be pro active by taking away the meters completely and make it a care free experience to come Downtown to do business.
Is it too much to ask?
22 comments:
What do you mean FUTURE? Go down there after midnight.
My observations have been exactly the same as yours.
A few years ago I saw a photograph of Salisbury, Maryland when the Harbor was still open. Back then - the Harbor allowed shipping to come all the way up to the Route 13 Bridge. However, Salisbury's finest leaders of the hour - (joke) - decided to construct two stationary bridges that impeded traversing of schooners, fishing vessels, and barges.
It retrospect this was a tremendous mistake. Anyone who looks at the turn of the century photographs from the 1900 era will see that Salisbury was prosperous and bustling with businesses - even back then.
Instead, now we are witnessing the berth of a GHOST TOWN - literally.
This would make for a good follow-up commentary with photographs from George Chevalier.
Joe - this is just to funny. My wife made the same comment just a few days ago. While passing down Mainstreet - she looked at me and said the following:
"The only thing missing from Salisbury being a Ghost Town is the blowing tumble weed"
You could not have described it any better.
Removing the parking meters isn't going to help. Unfortunately needs so much more than that. It just doesn't make good business sense to try to make something fly downtown. (Except for Kuhns, Market Street, Sushi Kanpai, Enaza, Velvet and Amber Nicole.) This is not much success when you look at the available spots and the businesses that have gone bust.
Only thing turnig a profit downtown is the courts.
Ironically, you include a picture of the Chamber of Commerce parking lot. They have put a lot of money in that building. From purchase, to improvements inside, and now exterior improvements that people see. They are one of the few success stories downtown.
anonymous 1:24, while I agree, the Chamber has done well keeping up their property, that was NOT the pont of that photo. The point of the photo was to show the empty metered parking spaces on Main Street.
I do not doubt that having to feed the meter is one reason for the demise of Escape Restaurant. I had lunch there with six retired co-workers who all said they would not return because of having to go pay for parking every so many minutes. Perhaps Flavors of Italy fell for the same reason. Are you listening/reading, Mayor Ireton and City Council?
I moved here in 1973 and the downtown was being revitialized then and several times since. When will people realize every city like Salisbury in the U.S. that has allowed, even fostered, unbridled growth outside of the city downtown is now in the same Ghost Town situation? It will,in spite of every effort and millions spent, never be the commercial center it once was.
I made the exact same comment to my boyfriend last week. You should see it on the weekends, especially in the summer time. Dead!
Thats what they said about downtown Easton.
look at it now.
Why is it that Easton, St. Michaels, and Cambridgr down towns do so much for them selves? Its a real pleasure to go to their Second Saturday or Third Friday. Go check them out.
if the employees and business owners of downtown businesses would stop parking in the spots right in front of the businesses maybe actual customers would park in those spots and actually go in to the businesses.
Like "Urban Salisbury" the Chamber of Commerce is another do nothing group, like the "Greater Salisbury Committee".
Easton has a busy downtown despite having the megastores on their bypass. WHY? Not sure, but they have sawed off ALL the parking meters and replaced them with "Free 3 hour parking" signs. They also have deleted "Meter Maids" chasing the shoppers down and out of town to the bypass stores who have free parking.
Hmmmmmm... I wonder if it's the color of the sidewalks or something....
Yes, please remove the meters so I can park for free while I work my 9 hours and I won't have to pay for a permit? Then where will the people who may have to come downtown park? Oh and by the way who has to pay when the lots need to be resurfaced, black topped and the garage needs repairs, that's right the tax payers. Dumb@$$ it not paid parking that drives business away it the lack of businesses wanting to be downtow and then why should they the counsel and Mayor doesn't have a clue how to attract downtown businesses or guest. Who cares let the tax payer burden the 1 million that parking and ticket fund for the city. Good luck stupid.
I think the biggest problem with downtown is there are no folks with real vision running anything. Most democrats just want to give and don't care how things get paid for. I believe some of 1:36PM people will park for free, but it won't be shoppers, it will the the lazy employees who don't like to walk a few extra steps each day to work. The permits are needed to finance the lots and garage. I believe they should maybe have 1 hours free and then either use the libaray lot or purchase a permit as a tax payer I don't want to have to pay for others to park for FREE. That's what the $5 increase in the month lot and garage permit is to pay for others to park for free. Think about it. And by the way you don't really park for FREE someone usually the shopper will pay for the parking when they make a purchase at the large shopping centers. Someone has to pay to maiantain the parking lots. The real answer is attract businesses in an economy that is rough on any type of business, maybe we need to vote better?
This is pretty typical of summer time downtown. Not any different then any other summer? Escape didn't have any thing new to offer. Most people will spend $15 dollars on a meal, but not .75 cent to park. Most people are lazy and cheap. Flavor about the same.
The renters are the ones parking at a meter and won't pay and park all day making it difficult for others to park. Maybe they need to do away with renters and get business back downtown, what a worthless atricle filled with no logic or common sense.
Yes, 5:13 I work downtown pay for a permit down by the Plaza and the renters who you claim are trying to bring business back park for FREE in my space rather then purchasing a permit? Please don't stop ticketing the abusers. I think they are pretty fair when it comes to ticketing!!!
Carefree experience come downtown and do business? That's right to see my bail bondsman and lawyer to prepare for court for that speeding ticket I got. But since the cops are giving out so many speed tickets people have stopped driving because of the number of ticket they are writing, or is it because gas is to expessive, they don't have a job to go to and there are so many places I want to spend my money at that I don't have. And you write an article about parking tickets, give me a break! Start reporting facts rather then petpeves.
Anon 1009 -
They are facts, although this is an opinion piece. Do you honestly think that Joe was arguing that removing the parking meters would be a silver bullet?
C'mon! One thing didn't cause Salisbury's downtown to decline and one thing won't fix the problem.
We live in a 3D world. Start thinking in more than one dimension.
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