Paid parking downtown is economy-killing stupidity

[Dave Gray]

In Boca, where I used to work, there was decent foot traffic on the sidewalks around the building.  There were little boutique-style shops and a tailor, plus a range of restaurants from little chains, like Subway or Tropical Smoothie, to more ethnic family restaurants that people sought out.

They put in parking meters on the street and it pretty much instantly killed the area.  All that stuff went out of business and now the streets are empty.

Nobody is paying to park to eat at Subway.  So, all that foot traffic dried up.  It's such a stupid way to try and earn money for the city.