One business owner in Johnstown said the price of street parking is too high and he believes it affects business in the area.
“I think it’s unwarranted for one quarter to get you only 15 minutes parking in downtown Johnstown,” owner of Chameleon Bookstore Mike Messina said. “I think that needs to be changed.”
An official with the parking department in Johnstown said it was sometime in the last few years to price was raised from half of the current rate.
They said the parking meters being around helps keep the flow of people coming in and out of the downtown area and claims that every city even ones in our area also use parking meters.
But Messina said he believes fewer people come downtown because of the price of parking.
“Customers come in and they ask for quarters for a dollar because they need more quarters, or they’ll rush out and said ‘Oh, I’d like to stay long but I have to leave. I’m going to get a $20 ticket. It definitely affects me, and it affects people wanting to come downtown.”
Some people said it is not something that affects them coming to Johnstown.
“I think the meters for them to be 25 cents for 15 minutes is reasonable for downtown Johnstown,”
Some other community members agree, while some said the prices were way too high.
Messina said he would like to see the prices go back to 25 cents being able to buy 30 minutes of parking.