• JBar2@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    In defense of business owners, when their customers are trained from birth to drive everywhere, their customers expect parking. When there is no parking, they lose business

    Every major US city receives immense backlash from local businesses when roads/parking are unavailable due to added bike lanes, traffic calming projects that reduce parking, or much-needed major construction projects such as water main or sewer work. This is happening right now in downtown Burlington, VT, for example

    https://m.sevendaysvt.com/news/main-street-construction-is-hurting-burlington-businesses-43270506

    There’s no easy answer in most cases

    • Showroom7561@lemmy.ca
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      10 months ago

      There can be other forms of parking, but on-street parking on a street like that is by far the worst type.

      In my city’s downtown area, we have four lanes going one way, with parking taking up two.

      We also have a few unused, large parking buildings and many empty parking lots within walking distance of every shop, restaurant, and service building.

      As it stands today, my downtown is hostile to pedestrians, cyclists, and the disabled. Businesses would thrive if the area was designed for people.

      Constriction hurts businesses, for sure. Road maintenance tends to be a huge reason for that, and frequent road maintenance is needed when areas only supports cars.