Parking charges.... Travel & Tourism

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  #1  
Old 07-16-2008
Pumpkin Pumpkin is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

Parking charges....

I hear them complaining about the new $5 charge to park at Peggy's cove.....

WELL....I went to new river beach for the 1st time in 2 years and the last time I was there I believe it was either 2 or 3 dollars to park there....

SEVEN DOLLARS it is to park there. What the???????? For what? I was there for 3 hours and had to pay $7 just to park.....

So if you don't know yet, it's SEVEN REDICULOUS DOLLARS to park at New River Beach. .....

NUTS!! and no one was there. beware for the weekend coming soon filled with Sand Sculptures....they will make a nice take that day!! HUH!!!
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  #2  
Old 07-16-2008
kaj27 kaj27 is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

I've always parked on the side of the road, that's free.
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  #3  
Old 07-17-2008
Pumpkin Pumpkin is offline
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LoL Well Kaj27, I think I will be joining you on the side of the road!!!! Actually I KNOW I will be. :P I was already through the gate so I paid but as soon as i was through I thought I won't be parking in there again.

How crazy!! It costs so much just to get there, then you get a nice suprise like that.

I could see if I had a tent and was gonna camp, but what did I pay 7 dollars for?

We found a tap near the change rooms at the bottom of the hill in the parking lot. I don't know if the sign was showing you simply that there was water there to use, or if it meant drinking water.... so I didn't want to waste drinking water....my friend says, "well who cares, you paid 7$ to get in here"..... I thought VERY good point, so I used their water for whatever it was for to wash off the sand on my kids legs and butt. So I guess I paid 7$ for that. LOL

Glad I didn't go in their restaurant, if parking costs 7$...I might have fallen over dead when I looked at prices for food and drink!!
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  #4  
Old 07-19-2008
stripekv stripekv is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

It's part of the provincial park system. If you buy a season pass for $60 it gives you unlimited access to all the provincial parks/beaches in NB.

I suggest you stay away from Parlee Beach then, $9 to "park" there.
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  #5  
Old 07-19-2008
Pumpkin Pumpkin is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

WoW!! That's nuts for just parking your car!!

Oh well, a lot of parks will probably suffer when people know the prices...people just won't park there. Like I am gonna start doing...gas is expensive enough, I can't afford to pay an arm for parking after I paid and arm and a leg for gas. I won't be able to drive, unless I use the toes on my last leg. :P
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  #6  
Old 07-19-2008
oasis oasis is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

If you think $5 to $9 is expensive, don't go to Quebec or Ontario! You'll have a stroke! I can understand why the guy at Peggy's Cove did this. He's a business man. His parking lot is always full. But his restaurant isn't. He has gotten a lot of complaints from customers that they can not get a place to park when they go to the restaurant.

I was there last year. My wife and I wanted to get a bite to eat, but we could not find a place to park so we went else ware. This is what lead to the decision to do this. He has a prime location, and not a lot of traffic. If you park there you get a voucher for $5 for the restaurant. So if you eat you park for free.

$9 isn't much to pay to park for a DAY at the beach. It gets you access to any on site facilities. People think nothing of paying $10 for a pack of smokes. $1 to $2 for a bottle of water when they have a tap at home that's free. But the complain furiously at having to pay for parking.

Think of the cost of that parking lot. It's not free for them. The have to buy the land, clear it, pave it, maintain it, and insure it. Yes they need insurance and it isn't cheap. No matter how many signs they post they are still liable for certain things that can and do happen.

If they could not charge, You would see a lot of these places would not be there. No one owes anyone a free place to park.

I doubt if many of these places will suffer. They have been charging for years, and they are packed on nice days. I doubt if that will change.
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  #7  
Old 07-25-2008
Tassy.Junior Tassy.Junior is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

If I go to a park IE New river, or anywhere else to park... I just pay it.... It's not like I go there everyday, I go to have a good time, I don't let a $7 parking fee get to me... And plus, i go with a few people, and we each throw in a toonie
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  #8  
Old 07-26-2008
sanstu sanstu is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

I guess it must not cost anything to maintain a parking lot.
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  #9  
Old 07-27-2008
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rhiley_08j rhiley_08j is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

Quote:
Originally Posted by oasis View Post
No one owes anyone a free place to park.
That's the thing, no one owes anyone anything these days. including common courtesy. It's a parking spot... seriously any chance to make a buck will suffice this day and age.
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  #10  
Old 07-27-2008
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rhiley_08j rhiley_08j is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

Quote:
Originally Posted by sanstu View Post
I guess it must not cost anything to maintain a parking lot.

Isn't that where our taxes dollars are supposed to go. Not to mention the amount of taxes we pay on gas, shouldn't those taxes go to things pertaining to vehicles, such as highways and provincial park's parking lots?
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  #11  
Old 07-27-2008
sanstu sanstu is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

One would think so rhiley, but you know what the government is like with our tax dollars.

Last edited by sanstu; 07-28-2008 at 07:38 AM..
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  #12  
Old 07-28-2008
oasis oasis is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

Quote:
Originally Posted by rhiley_08j View Post
Isn't that where our taxes dollars are supposed to go. Not to mention the amount of taxes we pay on gas, shouldn't those taxes go to things pertaining to vehicles, such as highways and provincial park's parking lots?
Actually no. I know with in the city at least, the city itself gives the parking commission no money. Maintenance and acquisition of the parking lots is the sole responsibility of the parking commission. If they do not make money then they can not maintain it. The city parking commission is the only part of the city that makes money. Every other department depends on tax dollars to run.

If they did not charge, then taxes would go up to provide parking. IF they bothered at all. In most places the city does not provide any off street parking. It is all private enterprise. And it is EXPENSIVE! Fredericton charges over double what Saint John does.
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  #13  
Old 07-28-2008
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rhiley_08j rhiley_08j is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

Quote:
Originally Posted by oasis View Post
Actually no. I know with in the city at least, the city itself gives the parking commission no money. Maintenance and acquisition of the parking lots is the sole responsibility of the parking commission. If they do not make money then they can not maintain it. The city parking commission is the only part of the city that makes money. Every other department depends on tax dollars to run.

If they did not charge, then taxes would go up to provide parking. IF they bothered at all. In most places the city does not provide any off street parking. It is all private enterprise. And it is EXPENSIVE! Fredericton charges over double what Saint John does.

I was referring to provincial not municipal. Our taxes collected in fuel are supposed to go to transportation related costs. I.E. provincially run parks.
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  #14  
Old 07-28-2008
orange orange is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

Quote:
Originally Posted by rhiley_08j View Post
Isn't that where our taxes dollars are supposed to go. Not to mention the amount of taxes we pay on gas, shouldn't those taxes go to things pertaining to vehicles, such as highways and provincial park's parking lots?
It seems like a lot of people think of public expenses this way.

But the fact is, certain expenses are designed to have user fees. One could say "why do I have to pay for my driver's license renewal, don't the gas taxes cover auto related expenses?"... or a toll bridge, or any number of expenses like that. But many expenses are only partially covered by taxes, and the system is designed for user fees to cover the rest.

A user fee at the beach serves a useful purpose - not only to help maintain the parking lot, but as a way to avoid the parking lot being overcrowded (I don't know if overcrowding ever happens there, but if the parking was free or cheap, there would be a lot more cars parking there... but with a higher fee, people are more likely to carpool).

I don't necessarily disagree with you that $7 is maybe a bit high, but user fees do often make sense.

Last edited by orange; 07-28-2008 at 08:09 PM..
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  #15  
Old 07-28-2008
orange orange is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

Quote:
Originally Posted by rhiley_08j View Post
That's the thing, no one owes anyone anything these days. including common courtesy. It's a parking spot... seriously any chance to make a buck will suffice this day and age.
Actually, on the flipside, too many people expect too many things for free these days.

You mention "any chance to make a buck", but maybe they're just trying to break-even to cover expenses... but a lot of people have the philosophy of "any chance to avoid paying a buck".

"Common courtesy" would dictate that people at least allow them to break-even. Let's say the parking lot is only *just* breaking-even on expenses... in that case, people who pay less than what's due are just as bad as a price-gouging business that's making crazy profits.

We can't really know whether they're breaking even or making a profit off the parking lot, and $7 might be a bit high, but the point still remains about too many people expecting something for nothing.

I think oasis also made good points about Peggy's Cove, people spending money on cigarettes/coffee, insurance, and the SJ Parking Commission example.

That said, it does seem like a per hour system would work better... $7 is decent for a day, but it's kind of high if someone's only going for just a couple of hours. But then again, maybe the parking fees are almost like an "admission fee" to help cover the cost of maintaining the beach.

Last edited by orange; 07-28-2008 at 08:16 PM..
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  #16  
Old 07-29-2008
oasis oasis is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

Quote:
Originally Posted by rhiley_08j View Post
I was referring to provincial not municipal. Our taxes collected in fuel are supposed to go to transportation related costs. I.E. provincially run parks.

Very few if any of the provincial parks are actually run by the province. Most were farmed out in the 90's to various community groups. Thus the government no longer invests tax dollars into them. They are now private businesses and the owners are responsible to make enough money to keep the running.
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  #17  
Old 07-29-2008
sanstu sanstu is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

Quote:
Originally Posted by oasis View Post
Very few if any of the provincial parks are actually run by the province. Most were farmed out in the 90's to various community groups. Thus the government no longer invests tax dollars into them. They are now private businesses and the owners are responsible to make enough money to keep the running.
That's what I thought too.
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  #18  
Old 08-07-2008
Bill Bill is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

Parking, tolls etc

I don't think most of the time we really know how good we have it.

To cross the George Washington Bridge between New York and New Jersey cost 8.00, the Walt Witman bridge between Philadelphia and New Jersey is 3.00 we pay 50 cents

To park in Boston cost anyware from 8 to 23 dollars an hour forget New york take the bus anyware from 16 to 40 dollars and hour

Here is a funny one at times you can get the Days inn in Chicago for 59.00 a night it cost 45.00 to park your car.................

Bill
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  #19  
Old 08-19-2008
girdy girdy is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

Since there is no user fee for the beach, parking and concessions are the only revenue for the beach portion. Maintenance, security, garbage pickup, use of the washrooms, there are costs involved in the beach.

I've been to the Sand Castle event before, paying $7 for the convenience to park within 2 miles of the beach would be money well spent IMO.
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  #20  
Old 08-27-2008
The Mysterious Lady The Mysterious Lady is offline
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Default Topic: Parking charges....

I have no complaints - they take wonderful care of the place. Last weekend I was there and one of the toilets had backed up - in minutes, someone was there and took care of it. It's always nice and clean ... what a beautiful place to be.

I'll be there this weekend - I'll be the one with the big smile on my face!
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