I have lived in the county, and worked and shopped in Durango for 26 years. The town has talked about the parking problem that entire time. Yet, nothing has been done about creating more parking.

Instead, more and more parking spaces have been taken away. The Transit Center, the Durango Police Department on East 2nd Avenue, the bump-outs – all have taken away parking for shoppers. Now, the City Council intends to spend money on Downtown’s Next Step.

Why not spend money on creating parking for shoppers instead of more walking space with flowers (all very nice but not addressing the real problem)?

Durango is working to get more shoppers downtown while neglecting where they are to park. Where are the elderly to park? Blocks and blocks away?

How are the tourists supposed to find parking when it’s blocks and blocks away, driving around and around, then carrying bags of shopping on long walks to their car? Hardly conducive to shopping downtown.

Do you know what most locals tell me (I work in a shop downtown)? They say they don’t shop downtown because there is never any parking available. That is also my reason for not shopping more downtown and always has been. No parking.

When is the real shopping problem of no parking going to be addressed? That would do more for downtown than anything Next Step will do.

Susan C. Page

Hesperus