EDITORIAL: Put an end to 2-hour parking debate
A two-hour parking limit in downtown Aiken is a problem - or not.
Pick your side and you will find company.
The parking issue is dividing downtown businesses into two camps, and it may be up to City Council to revisit and find a compromise.
The two-hour parking limit is one that might scare some shoppers and visitors from coming to the central part of Aiken. After all, Public Safety officers are chalking tires, handing out warnings and even issuing citations at $10 a pop.
One of the purposes of imposing the limit was to get employees of downtown businesses to park in some less-than-prime places and keep storefront spots open for customers. It was thought to be better for employees to have to walk a short distance than to inconvenience potential customers - some of whom are elderly or with health problems.
But the two-hour limit is causing problems with businesses outside the targeted area (see the Letter to the Editor below).
The best solution is still to do away with the two-hour parking as was done during the Christmas holiday season - the busiest time of the year for shoppers. Employers should collaborate to require that workers park away from the front of businesses.
This is not an issue which should require the resources of Public Safety nor create the consternation among businesses and citizens that it has.