In Our Opinion … City takes the right step in limiting JC parking

Parking on Jos. Campau has long been an issue of debate here in town.
For decades, parking was not free along the city’s main business corridor; meters were the norm. But when the city installed new, hi-tech meters, people were outraged -- and demanded they be removed.
A number of folks had a hard time understanding the directions for how to use them, while others received tickets despite having paid, among other issues.
City officials eventually agreed, and got rid of the meters.
Flash forward to today: merchants on Jos. Campau, especially between Caniff and Holbrook, are complaining about people hogging parking spaces for hours, if not all day long.
Those all-day parkers take up needed space for potential customers, merchants say.
So now the plan is to limit parking to no more than four hours in one space.
While we’re not sure how much there will actually be in the way of enforcement, it’s a needed first step in managing parking in our business district.
Now, if only something could be done to attract businesses to the many vacant storefronts along the strip.

That’s an issue that badly needs a creative solution.
Posted Oct. 16, 2026