“I just paid $120 in parking tickets,” one business owner recently complained to me. This is nothing new. It is not the first time I’ve heard this complaint or similar complaints from a Perth Amboy Business owner. Why does the City of Perth Amboy which is supposed to be encouraging business penalize the very owners who invest their time and money into this town? These people are willing to own and conduct business in Perth Amboy – why discourage this by forcing business owners to feed meters all day long and be distracted from their business? And if they forget to feed the meters – they get issued parking tickets!
Many business owners are frustrated because of the parking situation in Perth Amboy. Quite a few have taken their small businesses elsewhere (out of Perth Amboy). A number of others are thinking about doing the same. All because of parking.
Perth Amboy should be encouraging businesses to open up shop in town – not discouraging it. Maybe the City of Perth Amboy should issue business owner parking stickers, allowing business owners to park in front of their business or at least in designated areas. These businesses already pay taxes in Perth Amboy. The City could at least give the courtesy to the owner(s) a free parking spot. All the City would need would be a proof of business ownership and allow the owner(s) to park in front of their business.
If the City is concerned about patrons having parking available. The business owners already park there all day. What difference does it make? Why not let them park in these spaces ticket free?
Recently Perth Amboy began repairing the Parking Deck. Perhaps the City could allow business owners to park there for free. For some businesses this is convenient; for others this is not. Many business owners need to load and unload their vehicle many times during the day. They should be allowed to do this without feeding meters and constantly be in fear of getting parking tickets.
It’s time for the town to give back to its residents a simple thing like a parking space. It would make a lot of people a little happier.
K.M.
