South Bruce Peninsular - Time for MORE Paid Parking at Sauble - Comments

The End Of Days

garym — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:48:03 -0400

Excuse me a moment, I have to don my long robes and get my apocalypse placard. Be with you in a sec ...

Ok, here goes ...

The Times they are a-changin' -- I'm surprised at the naivity, really. Parking fees??? c'mon, does anyone truly thing that parking fees are The Answer? Does Wasaga curb it's eco-distruction with parking fees? Does the Amazon get protected by raising the entry fee? It just seems nonsensical in face of the facts, and the facts are plain as the garbage on the beach: This is the last beach left!

This is Nature's last stand, and are we the saviour Calvary? No, we're the Benedict Arnold.

All other reachable natural locations have already been consumed, trashed, monetized, and no amount of barrier Privilege Fees will do anything to get them back. The wolf was at the gate, and got welcomed in with open arms, which were surreptitiously ducked and off went the wolf straight for the chickens. Surprise, surprise.

Anyone ever been to a field party? How about one of those insane bashes where some fool teen has the house to themselves, invites over a few friends and one of them invites everyone at the school, ruffians, hooligans and all their kin, a keg arrives, the ornamental swords go through the stereo speakers, and at 2am the parents come home because no one was answering the phone, or worse, someone did.

Here's a fact: The Beach does not 'belong' to everybody. It doesn't belong to anybody, it belongs to itself and it is we who impose that imaginary farce called the 'deed' that we believe gives us Divine Rights over it. Just as the tourists believe our welcome gives them Divine Rights to trash it. Same same same same same.

We teen-apes were given that beach, to mind it; care for it, it will care for you. Symbiosis. What did we do? We invited anyone with a car provided they just grease our palms. To quote Woody Guthrie, "And see what your greed for money has done" -- no, whoever it was, they don't expect you to go piss on their lawn, but then, they didn't beg you to come over and bring the whole fam-dammily with them! We, on the other hand, did.

Do a google, 'Sauble Beach' and what do you find? Eco-niceplace, or fantasy partyland that makes the I-Am-Canadian commercials seem nearly Temperance by comparison. It's our reputation. It's the image we give. We dressed like a tart, we attracted jerks. I expect every girl knew that equation.

"The line it is drawn, the dice it is cast" and the decision to monetize the Beach has been made, irrevocably. When people have huge 'investments' of time and money, they don't turn around, tourists don't stop coming, vendors don't stop selling, they both just charge on, escalating their warfare, more tax, more fees, more trucks, more by-law officers, more reviews, more awards, more promotions, more garbage, more locations, more cars ... it is a cancer, folks, a disease, and it is here now.

It is, after all, what was wanted.

Every 'economic development' brainstorming I was ever invited to attend was interested only in one thing: How do we get more people up here? and, well, they got their wish.

So no use crying over spilled milk. Cat's out of the bag, we can either go find some other Best Kept Secret and count what blessings are left, or we can hope for another Clovis asteroid to explode in the skies above us and clean up our mess.

Or we can earnestly and coordinately decide on a plan to embrace a Small Is Beautiful local economic strategy that considers our partner, ie The Beach, as a full stakeholder, check the cancer, change our habits and our diet, get more exercise and be more careful about who we invite to enjoy it.

Ok, I'm done. Have a nice day.

garym: ict evangelist - musician - whatever

a reply

mmockler — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:26:01 -0400

I feel I have to respond to both Dodge and Hockey17.

Dodge – you complain about the tourists who have strewn garbage everywhere – I agree with you. Tourists rarely have consideration. And you complained about the mess they made out of parking – ie. parking half-way onto the road etc. I agree with you there too. However, since the Town has a line item of $40,000 for FINES, why weren’t Lyle and company out enforcing this? They are there every other day of the week – and if you check out the parking lot in front of Nancy’s Bakery, they are there every day at 4:30 p.m., drinking their coffees and smoothies, smoking and chatting, comparing their tickets.

But to be fair Dodge, I know you are angry – but why take it out on the residents? You are a resident too. We pay shoreline assessment fees – why shouldn’t seniors and those with young families (and everyone else who pays taxes) have a free parking pass? If you are mad at the tourists and the mess they make, be mad at them – not at the residents who generally try to take care of the beach.

And as far as higher taxes for beach maintenance – perhaps if EVERY cent of the paid parking revenue had been used for Sauble, instead of going into the general revenue fund, then perhaps, we would see lower taxes. Just a thought . . .

And for Hockey17, you have access to Council documents, as do I. And for that reason, you know the majority of those writing in are against paid parking, or are in favour of an hourly rate. I am NOT talking about the businesses’ petition here; I am talking about those who took the time to write in. Working at Nancy’s Bakery gives me a fair opportunity to hear from both the residents and the tourists. I can honestly say I have not talked with any resident who is in favour of the flat rate. Now, this is not a scientific study by any means; it is purely anecdotal.

If you can get those “pro-paid parking people” to generate letters, I’m sure Council would like to see that side too. But for now, all evidence (both letters to council and anecdotal references) seem to work against your argument.

blind deaf and dumb?

mxyzptlk — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:00:03 -0400

are our councillors blind deaf and dumb? anyone who opens their eyes can see the overflow of tourists and their massive garbage wake. this morning i was walking out my lane and saw a car had pulled in and someone was relieving themselves on my private property. would they like it if i pulled in their front lawn and had a piss? im sick of it.
kltpzyxm

Paid Parking

beendere — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:19:08 -0400

I agree with Dodge and WolfKodiak. The problem is, talking here isn't getting the job done. Write letters to council. The only letters they are receiving are from the merchants whose sales are down and the spew that paid parking is the problem. Let council know your feelings as residents. Get your neighbors to write. You are the silent majority. End the silence. If you stay silent except here in peninsular nothing is going to happen. If council receives 100 or more letters, emails, phone calls, pro paid parking from people whom they don't usually hear from and info on the mess etc maybe they'll listen. At this point our two Sauble councillors are saying stop the fee or reduce it...the feelings expressed here need to be sent to council. don't expect someone else to solve this problem. Step up to the table -- call or write the right folk to get this going.

Parking Cheaters = Higher Taxes

Dodge — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:40:53 -0400

This morning the beach is a mess near the garbage containers. Parking cheaters clogged Sixth Street all day yesterday creating a hazard for pedestrians. Some should have been ticketed for leaving vehicles partially on the road where is support from enforcement?

Garbage management could be handled better with an extra run last night.

These people park free all day. They cooked food and enjoyed the free washroom. They left garbage everwhere. They did not spend any money here.

I am fed up with residents who think they should park for free. No municipality gives free parking just because you pay taxes. As to supporting blanket free parking any resident doing this would cost themselves and everyone else in higher taxes much more than the price of a pass.

Yet we still get people who cannot understand the connection between taxes and beach maintenance costs.

Time for MORE Paid Parking at Sauble

wolfkodiak — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:40:46 -0400

Paid parking did not seem to scare away tourists this weekend. I cannot remember seeing so many people ever. They were parked everywhere, all the way to Sauble falls parkway and beyond. I think it is time to charge for parking EVERYWHERE! I also think we should charge even more for parking!! We have to pay for the cleanup of these ignorant tourists somehow!! I helped neighbours on Second Av clean up garbage and even escort people from their lanes who had the audacity to set up camp stoves and barbecues on private property. these ignoramuses were also quite indignant when asked to move. I agree that Sauble is everyone's beach but at what price to those of us who are residents?