Protests Increase for Downtown Parking Limits

The movement opposing the 2008 implementation of a two hour time limit on downtown parking has gained considerable momentum and organization during the past week. Movement organizers have created a facebook.com group which currently has 179 fans, recruited supportive downtown business owners to display "Free Parking" signs in their business windows and garnered the attention of several local news outlets. Today revealed a front page story in the Aiken Standard about the opposition and an afternoon news recording outside of Plum Pudding by WJBF which aired at 6:00 PM.

The renewed and increased strength of the opposition seems to be fueled by the recent closure of several downtown businesses, challenges faced by the remaining business owners due to the current economic conditions and the currently vast availability of parking spaces under the two hour limit. The owner of the facebook.com group states, "You could parallel park an 18 wheeler most anywhere downtown. I'd say the parking problem is over." To support this statement, the owner of the group posted images of an uninterrupted row of empty spaces on Laurens Street, in front of Plum Pudding. They also state in a later post that, "...the problem with parking in downtown Aiken is not the lack of spaces, it's the lack of cars in the existing spaces."

As noted in the Aiken Town Crier's previous article regarding the two hour parking limit, the Aiken City Council stated, after voting to implement the program, that there would be at least one later meeting to reassess the need for time limits on downtown parking. Whether this was on the agenda of any 2008 or 2009 Aiken City Council meeting has yet to be determined.

Previous Aiken Town Crier Article on Downtown Parking Limits

End Parking Restrictions in Downtown Aiken Now! facebook.com group

WJBF Report on the Downtown Parking Opposition Movement

WRDW Report on the Downtown Parking Opposition Movement

Aiken Standard Article on Opposition