Reader Amazed at Business Owners

November, 2011

Editor, Parking Today:
It really amazes me how some business owners think. They go into a downtown business district, find a location and have dreams of making money without even thinking about parking issues. They allow their employees including themselves to park in front of their business and not concerned about their customers. Because of their ignorance, they are not favored by their fellow business owners and their customers find somewhere else to shop. Parking spaces in front of a business is big, big business. It really pays off that if you are going into business have a plan in action and “look before you leap”.
Frank Chaney
Florence, AL

Readers Correct Volt/Leaf Issue
Editor, Parking Today:
I noticed in the article referenced above in your latest Parking Today (October) that the author mentions the Volt when talking about Range Anxiety. It doesn’t directly state the Volt is electric only, but the Volt also runs on gasoline, so if the power goes off as after a Hurricane (I have been without power for 10 days due to one), you still can drive to work. Just wanted you to know that lumping the Volt in with the Leaf is a little unfair when it comes to this aspect of “electric cars”.
Matt Feagins, Principal
WALTER P MOORE

Editor, Parking Today:
It was funny that I came across the “Range Anxiety” article on PT’s website this morning.
As a Volt driving, charger installing, preferential location giving (soon) parking professional you would think that I disagree with Astrid; but, I guess you would be surprised to hear that my biggest problem is that she got the VOLT info completely wrong.
The Volt (at least the one I have), has a range of up to 375 miles. For trips under 40 miles it is an electric vehicle only; but, if you drive longer than that it turns on its onboard electrical generator and it charges the batteries so that the car can continue to run off the batteries. With the generator turned on and at good highway speeds the range is a little over 100 MPG’s.
So far I’ve put over 1,000 miles on the Volt and it has only used about 3 gallons of gas. This was on a round trip between JFK and PHL.
Guillermo Leiva, Assistant Commissioner
NYC DOT - Bureau of Parking