Businesses frustrated over potential parking fine increase

Lethbridge business owners expressed their frustration during an Economic Standing Policy committee Wednesday afternoon about the potential of parking fines being increased. The fee for a parking fine currently sits at $25 and it’s looking at being increased to $50. The owner of Catwalk Salon says his biggest frustration is not being able to plug the meter for his clients while they are at his business.  

“When you leave with a pedicure from Catwalk you leave in a flipflop made of sponge It doesn’t last very far. You cannot go down to the ten hour meter if there is one. Please don’t raise the meter price. The number one thing. I don’t mind if you raise it to $15 and $30 fine after a week, but allow us to plug it for the time we need. Why do we want to limit people to shop downtown. We don’t limit how long you can spend in Costco. Go to the liquor store, get the gas. You know Walmart. You can go to Chatters. You can go to the Gap Outlet. We don’t limit that time. Why are we limiting the time. I want my clients to get their hair done and then head over to Owl, have a drink, and then pick up their ring over at Fosters.”

Lisa Tompkins of Tompkins Jewelers says raising the fines for parking will have a negative impact on her clients.  

“When a ticket is $10, I don’t mind paying it for my client. And if it goes up, I’ll have to eat that as well. But I do think about the smaller businesses downtown that have curated these beautiful stores. And maybe their average sales is $100. Not sure because I don’t know what it is. But when I go and shop downtown in the last couple of weeks, my average purchase was about $100. So if I get a $35 ticket, I’m not coming back, right.”

Tompkins hopes all the issues presented to council will spark a conversation and that parking fines will not be increased.