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Health & Fitness

Hey Roswell, You Aren't Midtown

Paying to park in downtown Roswell is ridiculous and unnecessary.

One of the nice things about Roswell used to be the ability to enjoy the downtown area nightlife without the hassle of making sure you have cash to pay to park your car. That annoyance was reserved for actual trips into Atlanta, where parking is basically a nightmarish crapshoot. Now Roswell has taken a cue from the vengeful Atlanta Parking Gods and requires downtown patrons to shell out $3 if they want to park there after 5 p.m. 

According to Roswell officials, one of the major reasons this fee was instituted was to discourage downtown Roswell employees from taking up all the prime customer spots as they arrive for their shifts. I would think as a business owner you would make it your own policy to tell your employees not to drive away revenue by taking parking spots from paying patrons. I have worked many a job where I was told where to park. I don't understand why these businesses have opted to have their customers pay to park in these private lots instead of telling their employees to park elsewhere. Frankly, the decision is disrespectful to the people keeping them in business, and from what I've seen, it has done nothing to calm the parking chaos during peak hours. 

I believe the unnecessary annoyance of a $3 parking charge definitely detracts from the charm of downtown Roswell, and will most likely drive away potential customers from other nearby cities who arrive to Canton Street unprepared to pay for the privilege of parking there. Roswell is not Midtown and does not need to charge people every evening they want to enjoy it.

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