Galvestion Gets Greedy: I live 100 miles north of Galveston Island and have enjoyed visiting several times with and w/o family and friends. Went 9-15-2013 48th Anv. They now want $1.00...

Photoman74 Loc: Conroe Tx

I live 100 miles north of Galveston Island and have enjoyed visiting several times with and w/o family and friends. Went 9-15-2013 48th Anv.
They now want $1.00 per hour to park along the sea wall - the Strand wants $1.50 PER HOUR!!!! Point #1 Merchants pay taxes #2 I and many only budget X dollars for vac and trips. Parking fees go to City - Merchants loose - Tourist looses. #3 Bed taxes - Sales Tax - Parking Tax -
I no longer have children to enjoy the beach -water - wildlife and photo ops and I will NOT be going back to Galveston even if I did most working families can not afford the prices ( Inflated already because tourist trap) and the parking fees - the local lakes provide the same water sand and wildlife-photo ops. Weatherford Tx had a 1st Monday second to none - instituted parking fees now almost non-existent. Greed Kills.

RicknJude Loc: Quebec, Canada

Photoman74 wrote:

I live 100 miles north of Galveston Island and hav... (show quote)

And there are people sitting in cushy offices thinking up more ways to rip off the public. Sickening. :thumbdown:

sarge69 Loc: Ft Myers, FL

Beaches around Fort Myers and Sanibel have parking meters that demand $2.00 an hour to park up to 1/4 mile from the beach with toilets 1/4 mile from the beach and no portables.

Sarge69

Bangee5 Loc: Louisiana

sarge69 wrote:

Beaches around Fort Myers and Sanibel have parking meters that demand $2.00 an hour to park up to 1/4 mile from the beach with toilets 1/4 mile from the beach and no portables.

Sarge69

Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood Beach is no different. Take a coat hanger and straighten it out. Bent one end into the shape of a quarter. Insert and jiggle as many times to get the time you want. I have never done this but there are guys going around near the beaches and for a dollar or two they will give you a days worth of parking. I didn't know it could be done and I never had the marbles to do it myself.

Photoman74 Loc: Conroe Tx

sarge69 wrote:

Beaches around Fort Myers and Sanibel have parking meters that demand $2.00 an hour to park up to 1/4 mile from the beach with toilets 1/4 mile from the beach and no portables.

Sarge69

Rumor beaches there S___ty :-D :cry:

Photoman74 Loc: Conroe Tx

Bangee5 wrote:

Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood Beach is no different. Take a coat hanger and straighten it out. Bent one end into the shape of a quarter. Insert and jiggle as many times to get the time you want. I have never done this but there are guys going around near the beaches and for a dollar or two they will give you a days worth of parking. I didn't know it could be done and I never had the marbles to do it myself.

Galv. wants bank card

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Too many tar balls on the Galveston beaches anyway....

Of course, the people who live in Galveston have undoubtedly been complaining that their taxes have to pay all the people who pick up the tourist's trash on the beaches, the lifeguards, etc... so I guess they can't please everyone. It's not much to pay. I remember paying $10 a carload once to go to a beach up north - but later thinking how nice and clean the beach was, how nice the bathhouse was, and that in reality it was well worth $10. And people still pay $80 to see a ball game they can watch for free on TV...

Photoman74 Loc: Conroe Tx

Wal Mart -Sears - McDonalds - All have to pick up trash, pay taxes, part of doing bus. Would you agree to pay parking fee to spend your money in these stores? I think that the fee is suicidal to their business interest. Definitely detrimental to the $10 per worker's children's vacation.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Photoman74 wrote:

Wal Mart -Sears - McDonalds - All have to pick up trash, pay taxes, part of doing bus. Would you agree to pay parking fee to spend your money in these stores? I think that the fee is suicidal to their business interest. Definitely detrimental to the $10 per worker's children's vacation.

Walmart, Sears, etc. are commercial interests - they make money by selling things that people want. They can therefore cover their costs - such as the costs of keeping their parking lots clean. So - in like manner, Galveston is now selling something people want - a day at their beach. And now they can make some money to keep the beach clean and to pay the lifeguards.

Photoman74 Loc: Conroe Tx

sb wrote:

Walmart, Sears, etc. are commercial interests - they make money by selling things that people want. They can therefore cover their costs - such as the costs of keeping their parking lots clean. So - in like manner, Galveston is now selling something people want - a day at their beach. And now they can make some money to keep the beach clean and to pay the lifeguards.

We are not going to see eye to eye - both have valid points - Galveston went from the busiest port in the US to destroyed, became beach resort community and rebuilt on the taxes collected and a very respected vacation community. Destroyed by Ike, rebuilt, and collected their trash, all w/o parking fees. I choose not to visit and pay, you do as you wish, it is the shrill cry of the happy children that will be absent the most. Neither of us ask the merchant and tax payer their view.

Crwiwy Loc: Devon UK

Photoman74 wrote:

They now want $1.00 per hour to park along the sea wall - the Strand wants $1.50 PER HOUR!!!! Point #1 Merchants pay taxes #2 I and many only budget X dollars for vac and trips. Parking fees go to City - Merchants loose - Tourist looses. #3 Bed taxes - Sales Tax - Parking Tax - Greed Kills.

That appears to be the modern world today - we have had to put up with it for years. Take my local towns Torquay & Paignton (same council) - they have been screwing the motorist for years. The overall result is that the towns are dying and side street shops being turned in to flats - no parking but that doesn't bother the developers. Many people refuse to pay heavy parking charges - on top of very high council tax - just to do a bit of shopping. It is much more convenient and cheaper to spend the time to go to the out-of-town shopping complex and get everything at once.