Belize City Business Owners Voice Concerns Over Parking Meters Impacting Sales

Local business owners are once again voicing concerns about the Belize City Council’s parking meters in Belize City. The entrepreneurs claim the meters are discouraging their customers from frequenting their stores. The pilot project was launched in 2022 as a part of the council’s efforts to manage the parking demand in prime areas. Today, Mayor Bernard Wagner argued that the meters are necessary to prevent long-term parking in coveted downtown areas and called on business owners to find their own solution.

Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City: “Listen to me, we are responsible at the municipality for on-street parking. On-street parking has to be equitably shared by all residents. The parking meter provides the sort of  backstop to ensure equitability and everybody have a shared time to park. I can’t be concerned about the business. The businesses have to be able to look after their customers and provide off-street parking. Every day now when you are doing a new business you have to be able to provide parking for your customers. That’s not my concern, that’s not the city’s concern. We are responsible for on-street parking. We regulate on-street parking. And that is our mandate.”