Personally, I think tourists are doing their fair share in this town. I would hope they would stop doing things like this, because it starts to ruin your impression of this great city, and makes people think twice about coming here. Casetta Johnson, who lives on Savannah's westside and works on the southside, said she avoids the Historic District to avoid having to deal with parking. She ventured downtown on Thursday only to pay her electric bill. Surveys show that the parking problem is one of the main reasons people cite for not shopping in downtown Savannah, said Richard Mopper, president of the Downtown Business Association.
Parking is an issue and a problem .
Long-term, this is something that is going to get better. Albert Grothe, who hails from Texas but has spent much of his time in Savannah lately, said if you travel to big cities across the country, Savannah's meter rates don't look so bad. In Dallas, he said, it costs between 75 cents and a dollar to park for 30 minutes. This is the cheapest of anywhere I've lived. Szczech, the parking officer, pleaded with drivers to put things in perspective.