#1 2012-04-25 22:44:18
Wareham strikes again. Leave it to this town to blow money on the opposite of what we need. In a place that already has a serious issue with lack of parking, they brilliantly decide to eliminate parking spots to put 'bump-outs' for pedestrians to be more easily seen ? Thats nuts. I cant even count how many times I've had to abandon plans to stop at any given business on Main St because there were no parking spots at all, now there's less. I never saw a problem with crossing pedestrians as much as there is a problem with parking.
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#2 2012-04-25 23:35:55
Wait'll you hear Harry's rant.
PSA: Those claiming credit for this nonsense, please suit up your flame retardant hazmat.
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#3 2012-04-26 08:48:25
Where do i begin??????..who in there right mind thought removing parking spaces from a "downtown" business district was a good idea??..from my shop (203 Main) to the Jug Shop, 5 spaces were compromised!!!..from TD Bank to Minervas there will be more..also, from the Post Office (opposite side of street) back to Irenes (198 Main st), more spots will be gone..our former (thankfully) TA used to spout off about "Take Pride Wareham", when in reality our downtown will further resemble Main St in BBay!!..not only because of the "bump-outs" but because of the dearth of Businesses here!!!
Another concern is the amount of loitering that goes on here..with the addition of many more benches, expect to see much more of this along with the litter that comes along with these folks..before Im called judgemental, please understand my heart goes out to the underpriviledged but Ive had enough clients "pan-handled" and seen enough of the cigarette butts, empty nips, and losing scratch tickets to last a lifetime..anyone passing through here would think we're a Town full of "layabouts", nothing they would want to encounter with a visit to one of our local establishments!
Im blessed with a very loyal clientel and additional parking (Merchants Way), yet my frustration over this project is very high because I care about my fellow business owners and the plight of Downtown Wareham..I await the first "Seinfeld episode beef" about the now two spots in front of my establishment!!!..
Harry Irving, with an I..
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#4 2012-04-26 10:35:17
Harry Irving, with an I, et al....allow me to play devil's advocate for a moment--we shouldn't install benches because of loitering? Loitering is an enforcement issue, is it not? We shouldn't enhance the aesthetic of the sidewalk because of loss of parking? Parking is available at public lots within walking distance, is it not? When is the last time Pezzoli Square was full? Fire Station lot? Perhaps the work is extreme as you point out on each side of the street, but certainly needed in some places that didn't even have a sidewalk in front of them.
Given the fact that they are being installed, let's discuss the ongoing maintenance of the sidewalk improvements given our dwindling Municipal Maintenance Department rather than "I wont do business on Main Street because I cannot park directly in front of the business of my choice". Have you ever measured the distance, or counted your steps, between the farthest parking space in front of Target or Stop & Shop? How about counting the steps from your parking space in front of Stop & Shop to the dairy section? My bet is that any of those distances far exceed parking at a public lot on Main Street and walking to your business of choice. What's the point? If there is a business that is worth patronizing, or provides a service or product that people need, they will find their way around parking.
Regardless of what you think of the sidewalk improvements, love them or loathe them, they are not the end all, be all, for Main Street by any stretch of the imagination.
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#5 2012-04-26 21:25:58
I'll respond to both Harry I and AF here.
I have to agree with Harry, I cant see that it was a good idea, and I dont understand the huge need for the bumpouts. It was supposedly so pedestrains can be more easily seen when waiting to cross. Why such a big emphasis on the pedestrians and not the cars, which there are 10 times as many of? And guess who is crossing the street - the drivers of the cars after parking them, so we wont have to worry about people crossing the street because they wont be able to park first anyway.
As for the loitering, both of you guys have good point, I'm sick of seeing loitering hanging around too, and the losing scratch tickets thrown on the ground by the loser, habitual ticket scratcher is sickening. But as AF says, its an enforcement issue and I believe there should be a beat cop or bike cop there all the time to earn their pay. Too much BS is tolerated. AF has another good point - the maintenance of the areas. Its hard enough to get M.G. moving without a fire under his backside, along with his piece of work sidekick G.B.
AF has a very valid point about the distance you would walk from your car to the back areas of Stop & Shop, however, in the winter - such as the one we had last year with 2 blizzards a week and snow that never left - Stop & Shop is a millions times better at clearing their lot than Main St is, and there's no snow or ice from the front door of the store back to the deli dept. On Main St, I saw people having to walk in the street, barely even wide enough for cars, because the sidewalks were so incredibly poorly cleared, if at all. A walk from a parking lot on Main St to a storefront in good weather is fine, but now you'll have more people trying to navigate the shamefully uncleared sidewalks after a lot of snowfall to make their way even further.
I can also imagine how many drivers are going to end up driving up onto these bumpouts after about 7 inches of snow and how many plows are going to knock into them.
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