Surprise, surprise. The Chamber of Commerce does not agree with paid parking. I would have never known. They stated that 30 per cent of people sampled would not return if pay parking was here. Hmm, that is 3 out of 10. Seems to me odds are in favor of pay parking.
I wonder also where these 30 per cent would go. It would not be Stanley Park, White Rock, Vancouver Game farm, Downtown Vancouver to a show, Canucks or Lions games. You see everywhere one goes, there is pay parking and it WORKS!
If it is true what they say about Harrison being a "two month" busy season maybe then it is time, lets say from May 1st to Oct 1st to start pay parking.
It is not the people who come here who stay at the RV sites and hotels I am talking about, but the day trippers. These are the people whom come to the beach, bring their own lunch and stay eight hours or more. They spend little, if anything on restaurants, to say the least.
Yesterday around 7 p.m. on a walk along the lagoon I noticed a utility trailer backed into a parking spot. Guess what was in the trailer boys & girls, yep BBQs, pots and pans. I bet they never spent any money.
Maybe it is time for the Chamber to start asking the question what can we do to increase the season here? Make it a year round place for visitors, instead of worrying what one retired councilman has to say.
Tom Bancroft
Harrison