We asked readers: What impact does paying to park have on your decision to eat, shop and visit downtown Syracuse? “No impact. Every city needs to collect revenue from a variety of sources, and parking is a widely accepted method. The unique shops and restaurants downtown are easily worth the couple dollars spent on parking. If people don’t like parking, then don’t drive. Take the bus or ride your bike.” – Damian J. Vallelonga, Syracuse “Parking in general discourages me from going downtown. Price is one factor, and convenience is another. I love eating at the Dinosaur, sure, but there are many, many restaurants closer to home where I can part 50 feet from the door for free, so they often get preference unless it’s a special occasion. – Mike De Lucia, Clay “No impact. I typically do my downtown shopping and dining after work hours or on weekends when on-street parking (free meters at that time) is available. I think there is a general misconception that parking downtown is difficult or scarce.” – Christa Glazier, Liverpool “While I do venture downtown for various reasons, if there is an alternative that offers free parking, I will take it. Yesterday, I had to add $2.30 to my lunch bill in order to eat at a downtown restaurant.” – Ann Ferro, Marcellus “I think it’s an annoyance, as I would guess most people do. But I have also lived in areas offering free parking and often employees of the local businesses (and yes, even business owners!) lock up the parking all day. This left very few spots for shoppers, visitors and tourists, especially during lunch time. My concern is not paying for a spot, but finding one!” – Colleen Farley, associate publisher for advertising, Eagle Newspapers “I hate having to dig for change to park just for a few minutes! And most of the streets are in bad shape. So you get down there, drive around looking for a spot, have to pay a lot to park just to browse? No thanks!” – Adelle Starr “Sometimes paying to park is an issue. We can’t just decide to stop and shop in the city on a whim because we need to plan ahead and make sure I have enough change. What’s more of a hassle than paying to park is WHERE to park in the first place! One day we planned a trip to visit Armory Square and got down there only to have to turn around and go home because there was NO PLACE to park. The only thing we could think to do was have one of us shop while the other one drove around and then swap. We decided that would be a waste of gas and no fun so we went home.” – Caren Giufre “It is too expensive for a city its size. Machines only take change, and the tickets are written instantly once you go over. Made me avoid it as much as I could.” – Jennifer Aicher The “What you’re saying” section is a new feature in The Eagle intended to spark dialogue and share perspectives among community members. Each week we will ask you for your opinion on a topic, and a selection of responses will be included in the following week’s edition of the paper. To receive the weekly “What you’re saying” question in your inbox, e-mail [email protected]. The question will also be posted on our Facebook wall. Submit your feedback via e-mail or on our wall. Please limit responses to two or three sentences and include your name. The Eagle’s letters policy applies. To get the ball rolling, here is next week’s question: What is the first thing you plan to do when the snow finally melts?