We need parking enforcement

To the editor:

In all the parking discussions I have read and heard, enforcement seems to be ignored.

I walk my dog daily through the South Third Street lot, which is theoretically pay parking, and have yet to see anyone checking for compliance. For most, it is free parking. So what is the loss if it is officially made free?

And now on to First Street. In Friday Harbor there are time limits on parking and an enforcement person marks tires and writes tickets. Do tourists, non-locals, pay the fines? I doubt most do. Do those fines cover the cost of the enforcement employee?

Meters require maintenance and enforcement and take up sidewalk space – their major benefit being yet another place for dogs to mark.

The PayByPhone system requires a smart phone on hand. Chuck Schumer, for example, uses a flip phone. I don’t carry mine. So a certain percentage of citizens will be cut out of the action, especially older folk, who are a large percentage of First Street patrons.

I see vehicles (I won’t name rigs or cars) who are regulars on First Street, who seldom move from their seemingly grandfathered-in spots. Couldn’t they be parked in free lots? I know several First Street employees use the south lot rather than parking closer to work on the street. Thank you!

And what’s with that lot at the end of First Street by the Moore-Clark building? Nobody seems to pay to park there.

So, I offer no solution here. I leave that to sharper minds. I hope, however, that I have offered food for thought.

Park on!

Jai Boreen

La Conner