The Fort Christian parking lot has been filled to capacity from 9 a.m. almost every day recently, forcing many cars to park illegally on the waterfront apron.
"And I thought business would get worse after we raised the rates," said John Dessuit, parking lot manager. Rates doubled from $.50 an hour to $1 the first of the year, with each additional hour at $.75. There is a $5 cap.
This was the first time the rates have been raised since 1984 when the lot opened.
Dessuit said the influx of automobiles is due simply to the time of year, "the height of season." There are more employees, he said, going to work downtown, and more tourists' rental cars parked for downtown shopping.
Dessuit said he was worried when the rates doubled at the first of the year, that he would have a half empty lot. "You worried too much, my manager told me," Dessuit said.
For those making the frequently futile drive up one lane down the other, however, Dessuit has words of encouragement. "Patience," he said is the answer. "Ten or 12 cars could leave in 15 or 20 minutes," he said. "It's not like the states where cars park at 8 a.m. and stay all day."
Maria Walters, V.I. Port Authority marine manager, said the authority doesn't always have enough parking enforcement personnel available.
"Sometimes it gets out of hand," she said. "But it's definitely illegal."
Walters cautioned the public not to become complacent about parking on the apron. "Sometimes the police help us out, and cars will be ticketed," she said.
