New legislation has passed that not only doubled the hourly cost of parking in Buffalo but extended the pay period by 6 hours each day, as well as taking away free parking on Saturdays.

The intention is to force downtown workers to park in expensive, privately owned lots and ramps, with the idea that more consumers would be able to find street parking during the day.

This not only forces everyone parking in the city to pay astronomical rates simply to be at work, but it also is a huge matter of public safety and discourages economic growth of the businesses downtown.