Dear Editor:
An open letter to City of North Vancouver mayor and council re: Pay Parking to Come to Auto Mall and Area, March 23 front-page story.
I am a medical service provider (registered physiotherapist) and employer of 24 people, a taxpayer to the City of North Vancouver, located at 850 Harbourside Dr.
I am beyond offended and utterly frustrated that council made a decision (March 7), with no consultation whatsoever, to make this business zone a pay parking area.
As a business owner, I already pay $1,100 a month in addition to my $14,000 a month rent to accommodate my patients who come for treatment.
I need street parking as does every other business, to accommodate the staff needed to service our businesses. The street space available is in itself a daily battleground since there is not enough for any of our employees: most spots are two hours only, necessitating my employees to have to run out and move their cars two to three times per shift, in the rain as is often the case.
Morning parking for all-day spots is an equal disaster with my staff coming in earlier and earlier to get a spot.
This is an utterly inhuman, unreasonable and untenable expectation for businesses and for staff that are the heartbeat of the city and for the staff we need to service that business.
Meanwhile, we are forced to look at four empty city lots that could easily be co-opted for parking pending the upcoming development. We have to look at the four to five huge, very sketchy RVs that park daily and weekly all year, occupying precious spaces needed for those who need to get to work to make their living.
This is just the tip of the very huge iceberg of non-creativity that is currently defining North Vancouver planning across the board.
I, my staff and patients, demand an immediate explanation and functional alternative so that I can continue to provide both medical service and employment.
I will be circulating this letter to the other stakeholders here with the expectation that our input can create a more sensible, less punitive solution to this issue.
Siobhan O’Connell
Trimetrics Physiotherapy Clinical Pilates and Complementary Health
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