Three days a week I have to park in downtown Salem so I can go to my Tai Chi class on Court Street between Liberty and Commercial. My instructor posted this not-so-cheery card from the City of Salem, alerting us students to what is coming July 1.
I find the "Get Ready to Meet Beep Beep Salem" annoying. Sure, if Beep Beep is the dog (if that's what the animal is) driving a little red car, that would be entertaining. Also, decidedly illegal, since I doubt a dog could pass the DMV test for a license.
But Beep Beep Salem actually is parking meters. Or perhaps, parking kiosks like what's already in other parts of Salem, such as around the Capitol. It would have been more honest to show an image of someone paying for parking that now is free, with a three hour limit.
No one in my Tai Chi class is thrilled about the move to paid on-street parking. According to a City of Salem web page, the cost will be $1.50 an hour and you can pay either at a machine or via a cell phone app, which supposedly is coming soon. So I'll be paying $3.00 three times a week, unless I use a parking garage, which will remain free.
Here's how Beep Beep Salem is described by the City of Salem.
I worry about how this will affect the vitality of downtown. Likely it will lead to fewer people making discretionary trips to downtown, as it will be more inconvenient and costly to park. The City of Salem seems to recognize this when it says above, "It also reduces the number of cars that must circle to find a spot."
Well, reducing the number of cars also reduces the number of people who visit downtown to shop, eat, or visit a different sort of business. Maybe downtown is vibrant enough to be able to absorb the shock of paid onstreet parking. Only time will tell.
This map shows the boundary of the new paid parking area (in yellow). A FAQ page has answers to some common questions.
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