Locals Don’t Want Paid Parking in Bozeman Now Or Ever

It's just a horrible idea to implement, especially in Downtown Bozeman. Locals and businesses aren't big fans of this proposal. 

Last month, we talked about how the Bozeman City Commission was thinking about starting seasonal paid parking in Downtown Bozeman. The city commissioners think that adding paid parking will help open parking spaces in Downtown Bozeman. We, on the other hand, think this is the worst idea ever. 

The Bozeman City Commissioners say they want to use the money from the paid parking to help with pedestrian safety and have alternate ways of bringing people downtown. That's just dead wrong. What will happen is people will park a few blocks away on streets in front of houses and make parking a nightmare for homeowners. 

KBZK reported that some downtown businesses believe that paid parking will deter locals from coming and shopping downtown. Plus, paid parking will directly impact businesses employees too. 

My favorite part of the article is that the city commissioners want to use money from the paid parking to build another parking garage. That sounds like a great idea, except for the part on where in downtown Bozeman would they be able to construct an additional parking garage. 

Think about it, the city would either have to build a parking garage on an existing parking area or buy a building, demolish it and then build a garage. That idea is so far down the road and seems like a pipe dream. 

We did a poll back in February on whether or not locals are ok with seasonal paid parking in downtown Bozeman, and over 80% of folks who voted said no. Locals think adding paid parking is an annoyance. 

We believe that paid parking, even if it's seasonal, will be a nuisance and frustrate already upset locals. 

Check out KBZK for more details.