Rony Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 I do not drive a car myself but I thought that a lot of people might like to know that, starting March 19th, on part of Madero (main street in Chapala) and Hidalgo, the new parking meters will start functioning. On Ramon Corona they have been in use for quite a while already. Better to avoid paying a ticket. Rony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yo1 Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 More parking meters but fewer spaces since they disallowed head-in parking on the west side of Madero. The street is wide enough to accommodate head-in parking. I wanted to stop at Surtidor yesterday but there was no parking anywhere. At least Chapala should mark out parking spaces so people don't take up two spaces. Parking is my pet peeve at Lakeside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericurmudgeon Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 Isn't is wonderful that your pet peeve is something as minor as finding a place to park? :-) Enjoy your day and hope it is one of those lucky ones where the parking spots are all open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVGRINGO Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 Near Surtidor is Surti-Wash, where you can leave your car to be washed, waxed and/or detailed. Meanwhile, you can shop all along Madero, etc. That is one solution and kills two birds with one stone. Fortunately, we live in Chapala, just a couple of blocks from all that shopping, so parking is not a problem for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ichbinsaege Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 Anyone have any idea how far down Hidalgo the pay parking will go? Hidalgo starts at Madero, will it go to the mural? I live on Hidalgo, and have yet to see any info on this (other than this post). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
border crosser Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 The signs have been up for several days. It does not go all the way to the mural but gets pretty close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 They said the first block. Not sure what that includes. IMO Chapala is just getting too difficult to visit these days between the parking tax and not being able to park without some car washer hassling you. We pretty much stopped going there a year ago. At least the great new restaurant, Richards, is on the north side of town where you don't have to deal with any of that. I'm sorry, but I think this whole parking thing is about extracting money from the weekend visitors and that is all it is. Been to enough Mexican towns of equal or larger size that do just fine without it to support this belief. I wonder how it has impacted the merchants who rely on the local people for business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsy Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 I wonder where people are going to park their chairs and buckets now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsy Posted March 19, 2013 Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 Today is the day that the new parking meters start operating on the main street in Chapala. The metered parking stops at Flavio Romero so parking from Flavio Romero onward towards the bus station is still free. I just walked two blocks from Flavio Romero towards the malecon and not one single car had a ficha on the dashboard, this should be interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R2D2 Posted March 19, 2013 Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 It seems that visiting Chapala , no matter where you park along Madero street or downtown, is a complete shakedown, either by the parking meters or by the car washers harrassing people. I agree with the parkling meters in the tourist areas, but trying to get money out of the regular population areas, makes no sense to me. One more reason to stay away from shopping / doing bussiness in Chapala. Doesn't the government realize that by gaining a few pesos for parking, local economy and businesses are losing much more $$$ by doing this? I am surprised local people or the chamber of commerce don't protest by such non sense policies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OsoNegro Posted March 19, 2013 Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 Life here is soooooooo difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intercasa Posted March 19, 2013 Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 The limit for pay parking is in front of my office. So from my office and the small street that goes to the lake towards the stoplight is pay zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carib Posted March 19, 2013 Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 Tonala installed meters on the main road. I guess I will stop going to Chapala. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted March 20, 2013 Report Share Posted March 20, 2013 I don't know, but maybe the shopkeepers and business people actually support the meters. It's possible they are intended to keep people from parking in front of their businesses .....all.....day....long. Trying to find parking in that area was always difficult before the meters. Maybe this will actually make it easier. Of course, the meters could start disappearing or become mysteriously nonfunctional one by one in short order, too. Vamos a ver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginger Posted March 20, 2013 Report Share Posted March 20, 2013 I like it. No problem finding parking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OsoNegro Posted March 20, 2013 Report Share Posted March 20, 2013 Went to Chapala this afternoon and found parking everywhere now that store owners and their staff no longer take the prime spots in front of businesses. Imagine... having parking for customers? It took the city to figure this out for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted March 20, 2013 Report Share Posted March 20, 2013 So where did the store owners and staff go? Clogging up the back streets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canmex87 Posted March 20, 2013 Report Share Posted March 20, 2013 Does anyone know what is the maximum number of hours the machine will allow you to pay and park at one time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsy Posted March 21, 2013 Report Share Posted March 21, 2013 They installed 9 new parking meters in Chapala but only 4 work...the others don´t work and they never worked. Sooo...I have no idea if or where you are supposed to pay to park but I can tell you that no one is paying to park from the bus station to the plaza. I have yet to find a working meter or a ficha on a dashboard but I have not been beyond the plaza this week. I don´t know about Hidalgo either. Let the desmadre begin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakeside7 Posted March 21, 2013 Report Share Posted March 21, 2013 So where did the store owners and staff go? Clogging up the back streets? I guess roads and highways are meant to allow traffic to move quickly from destanation to desternation, not be huge expensive parking lots Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted March 21, 2013 Report Share Posted March 21, 2013 Looks like they're viewed as money makers in Chapala these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ichbinsaege Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 They installed 9 new parking meters in Chapala but only 4 work...the others don´t work and they never worked. Sooo...I have no idea if or where you are supposed to pay to park but I can tell you that no one is paying to park from the bus station to the plaza. I have yet to find a working meter or a ficha on a dashboard but I have not been beyond the plaza this week. I don´t know about Hidalgo either. Let the desmadre begin. Currently, there is a sign at the corner of Madero and Niños Heroes going North that states that the metered parking begins there, and at the corner of Madero and Lopez Cotilla (at the NW corner of the plaza) there is a sign that it ends there. All meters North of there are wrapped with cardboard. The meters along Hidalgo are also in effect. So, for right now, it seems that they are just starting with a couple blocks. On Hidalgo, on a few of the signs, they seem to have forgotten to take the protective paper off the signs (looks like wax paper) so at first I thought they were old faded reused signs, until I got closer and see they haven't peeled off the paper. Somehow, that doesn't surprise me! I think the meters are a good idea. I live on Hidalgo and Aquiles Serdan and parking usually sucks. I have a business and now my clients are actually able to find parking better. The ones that don't want to pay, just park a block away near the mural. I don't see why some people on this board are so wound up about having to pay for parking. It's not that expensive, and if you want to park for multiple hours, there are lots around that you can do so for $15-30 pesos, depending on where and when you are looking. If it creates revenue for the city, then good. If it keeps $%&/()s from parking in front of my place, even better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnatale Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 I found a place where the streets are wide and open, the parking is free, the shopping is wonderful, and there are no speed bumps to break your teeth. There are restaurants everywhere, the people are friendly and we don't have to fend off the car-washers or the guy selling wiper blades in front of MBE . There are no burned out traffic lights here, and driving, once again, is a pleasure instead of being dangerous. The installation of parking meters in downtown Chapala was the beginning of the end. It made me focus on all the things we used ot have in the States, and one day, I just picked up the phone and called a realtor in Florida. We never drove back to Chapala unless we absolutely had to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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