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Sunday, February 12, 2017

Council Approves Inlet Parking Lot Changes; Statistics Show Small Number Of Motorists Will Be Impacted

OCEAN CITY — Satisfied the statistics from last year illustrated a minimal impact on visitors, the Mayor and Council on Monday approved a resolution to reduce the grace period for free parking at the Inlet lot from the current 30 minutes to 20 for the upcoming season.

On the table during Monday’s Mayor and Council meeting was a resolution that would adjust the paid parking fee structure at the Inlet lot to 20-minute increments in an effort to eliminate the need for coin change and keep the line of vehicles attempting to leave the lot moving at certain busy times. However, a by-product of the proposed changes to the fee schedule at the Inlet lot would be a reduction of the free parking grace period from the current 30 minutes to 20 minutes.

When the resolution was presented for first reading in January, it was approved by a rather tenuous 4-3 vote with Councilmen Wayne Hartman, Matt James and John Gehrig opposed. Those opposed voiced concern about the potential impact on those simply driving through the Inlet lot to look at the scenery or others who were picking up or dropping off people at the beach or Boardwalk.

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23 comments:

Anonymous said...

No impact for me. I just don't go there in the summer. Many, many more better places to visit! Outer Banks, Carolina Beach, Myrtle Beach, Destin Florida, St Simon's Island Ga, Coast of Maine, northern Peninsula of Michigan, etc. Guess what? No parking fees in the South! Even the mountain resorts of WV, NC, and VA are also very nice! To hell with OC. Money better spent in these places, and it will go farther with the savings!

Anonymous said...

Won't impact us at all. Don't plan on visiting OC anymore. We have cut back on trips there over the years. The atmosphere is no longer one that we condone, support or will be a part of.

Anonymous said...

Not that Thrasher's needs anymore people in line, but I would take the kids down there, grab some fries and a drink and head back uptown. Now, it will cost me a little more, if I decide to.
What difference does 10 minutes make for parking??? what am I missing?? Doesn't make sense but would love to hear from a city administrator the justification factors for this decision. Why not make it 5 minutes? Or no freebies.

Anonymous said...

Anything to increase the fees. It takes 20 minutes to find a space to park. Won't be patronizing this city anymore. My kids and family will go elsewhere.

Anonymous said...

Ahhhh...the good ole days when you could just pull up in your car ....search for a spot to park and spend an evening riding rides, playing pinball and eating popcorn. No more!!

Anonymous said...

3:38. Amen. Nicer places and people.

Anonymous said...

They've gotten very greedy!

Anonymous said...

Ah...our newbies didn't approve. I've seen this before and maybe its our OC swamp that needs to be drained!!! Using stats from last year - REALLY folks. Can't leave well enough alone for a while, always gauging for revenue.

Ciggy butts one year; taxi medallions the next; questions about AIRBNB; loss of taxes because folks are renting their houses in north OC; $50 registration for trailers (during OFF SEASON) for car and motorcycle weekend (2 in spring, 2 in fall); H20i; building larger higher hotels; and there sure is whole lot more.

Hey Joe, sure glad you moved to the West OC area...lots of poo not only in Salisbury, sure a big mess in Ocean City's HALL!

Anonymous said...

If you try to walk, I'll tax the street...if you try to sit, I'll tax your seat. Next, OC will tax the sun, the sand and salt water.

Anonymous said...

If you purchase a really good deep fryer (restaurant quality), you can make fries that are better than Thrashers at home. No lines, parking, 1/3 the cost and available anytime you want them.

Anonymous said...

Yeah... Ocean City is quite the hell hole if you read most of the posts here.
To (again) quote Yogi Berra: "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."
Different strokes for different folks. For some reason, about 300,000 people a day like coming to Ocean City.
I'm one of them.

Anonymous said...

That sounds perfect!
EXCEPT: Do you have the following "at home"...
A Boardwalk?
A beach?
A Marty's Playland across your street?
A pier with many fun amusement rides around your corner?
Fun street performers entertaining you?
(There's plenty more, but I think you catch my drift.)
IF you don't have any of that other stuff, then I would say it's utterly impossible to "make fries that are better than Thrashers at home".

Anonymous said...

That sounds perfect!
EXCEPT: Do you have the following "at home"...
Arrogant and obnoxious individuals from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Baltimore, etc.;
More Mexicans on the inlet beach than in Guadalajara, Mexico;
Drunks staggering on the boardwalk;
June Bugs dropping the f-bomb within hearing distance of your young and impressionable children;
Blacks creating chaos and threatening white people with bodily harm at night;
Daily traffic jams and motor vehicle collisions;
Constant noise;
Homosexuals walking along the beach holding hands and kissing;
Near nude overweight people showing things that they should not;
Arguments over parking spaces in the inlet parking lot;
(There's plenty more, but I think you catch my drift.)
If you like those things then good for you.

Anonymous said...

Well, I'm one of the "small number" that will be affected, along with the owner of Thrashers. I won't pay to park in a over congested, road rage inducing parking lot, just to get a buckets of fries. Been nice knowing ya Thrashers.

Anonymous said...

I get your point.
Do me a favor: Tell me the location of the wondrous paradise where you choose to vacation - to "get away from it all".
What you described (above), if you take out the words "beach" and "boardwalk", is pretty much every major city in the country with over 50,000 people.
It's called today's society.
Please let me know your personal Eden. I promise I won't tell my Black, Mexican, Homosexual, fat friends about it!

Anonymous said...

10:59
I couldn't have said it better.
Kind of sums up what OC has become.
Not my idea of a family resort or any kind of vacation!

Anonymous said...

2:12: "What Ocean City has become."
I've heard many, many people say that Ocean City is not the way it used to be.
Dirty, filthy people, sleeping on the beach and under the pier, using bad language, using drugs and alcohol with little or no enforcement, playing music too loudly, having no respect for authority of any kind.
This will absolutely kill Ocean City. No one in their right mind will ever want to come back to that town.
I'm not talking about 2017...
I heard this in 1967 when I worked a summer job in Ocean City. I think I was one of those dirty, filthy people they were talking about.
I'm now retired, own a condo on the beach, and have the kids and grandkids spend two great weeks with me every summer. They look forward to it like Christmas.

Anonymous said...

If you purchase a really good deep fryer (restaurant quality), you can make fries that are better than Thrashers at home. No lines, parking, 1/3 the cost and available anytime you want them.

February 8, 2017 at 10:02 PM

I'm afraid it's not as simple as you make it sound to duplicate the Thrashers french fries. You would need multiple fryers, at different oil temperatures, to progressively cook the fries, to duplicate the unique taste, texture, and flavor of the fries. But before all that, you would need to secure a supply of the select Idaho potatoes used for their product. It would be cheaper to just pay the parking fee and buy the Thrashers fries. WAY cheaper.

Anonymous said...

For some reason, about 300,000 people a day like coming to Ocean City.
I'm one of them.
February 9, 2017 at 8:26 AM

You and the other 299,999 can have it...and keep on coming. The Worcester County taxes on the rooms and real estate keep my property taxes the lowest in the state. I'll just go there after all the Baltimorons, like you, go back to the city you came from. I can go there anytime, and not while the 300,000 city folks are trashing it. You vacationers are temporary "guests" and everyone is making tons of money off of you. I don't like Baltimore, and I don't like Baltimore when it comes to OC. But I do like the money you leave behind when you come here. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

You are spot on with the list of undesirable people who act like trash. Civilized society has hit a brick wall!

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure why I'm even replying to such a hateful comment, but here goes:
I'm afraid I misspoke. Yes, I am actually from Baltimore, but have lived here since 1977.
I retired 10 years ago - sold the condo I had for 20 years and bought a home on the bay.
The change of (tourist) seasons it what makes the place so damn interesting.
A great carnival during the summer. A peaceful, quiet, safe town during the winter. The best of both worlds.

Anonymous said...

To 11:41 AM:
I cannot tell you because I don't want people like you there. That is what makes it "wondrous".

Anonymous said...

Five Guys French fries are much better and cheaper than Thrashers.