Lack of snow removal bad for business
Business owners on Martin Street in Penticton are raising concerns they are losing business due to snow-filled parking spaces.
Debra Williams, owner of the Pasta Factory on Martin Street, said she has been hearing from customers the lack of snowfree parking spaces has become an obstacle.
“They’ve plow our street a lot and city public works is doing a good job with that, but they’ve given no attention to our actual parking stalls,” Williams said.
Len Robson, city public works manager, said crews have attempted to clear the spaces, but have had trouble getting into the spots with cars parked there.
“Once the cars are in there, you can’t do anything,” Robson said.
The bollards along Martin Street do make snow removal more challenging, he said.
Williams pointed to the cleared out spots on nearby Main Street, asking why Martin Street hasn’t received the same treatment.
“For us, it’s costing us money because our customers aren’t finding parking,” Williams said. “It doesn’t seem to be a priority for them and it’s a detriment to us.
“It’s also a detriment to our clients. So free parking on Main Street, paid parking here, and absolutely no attention being paid.”
She added the complaint she hears from customers the most is having to pay for parking on Martin Street.
Duane Jordan, owner of Tug’s Taphouse, echoed Williams' concerns.
“Main Street is free parking and here is paid parking. You’ve got to pay here to deal with a mess while you can park for free on Main Street,” he said.
“We’re losing customers because they can't park down here.”
Robson said crews are looking to have the spots cleared out over the next day or two.