The Portsmouth City Council voted unanimously on Monday to increase the hourly rate at the parking garage from 75 cents to $1 and eliminate the first hour free, which will generate $933,000 in additional revenue.
The proposal has already prompted much discussion in the community, both pro and con.
"Yep, keep raising those parking fees until the tourists start avoiding Portsmouth. Then wonder 'what happened,'" said one Portsmouth Patch reader. "The city may rake in a few more bucks, but for every person that decides not to visit and for every person that decides not to stay as long because of the parking fees, the businesses lose. Personally, although I live in the Seacoast, I avoid Portsmouth like the plague unless I'm going to a business that has its own free parking lot."
"$1/hour is still CRAZY cheap, so this really should be a no brainer," said another Portsmouth Patch reader. "Come spend 4 hours shopping and getting lunch in Portsmouth and it will only cost you $4. Try that in Boston and it'll be $20 easy. Not that we're Boston, but still – $4 is not a lot and we should support it for the extra revenue for the city."
City Councilor Stefany Shaheen said she brought the proposal forward after hearing from residents who didn't think it made sense that the city was giving an hour away free when parking is at such a premium in Portsmouth.
What do you think of the council's vote? Are you OK with paying a bit more to park downtown if it generates revenue for the city? Or do you think parking rates are already high enough? Leave your thoughts in the comments field below.
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