Private valet companies take up public parking spaces for profit. They cause traffic to back up on West Davis at Bishop during peak times. And they perpetuate the perception that valet is the only option for parking in Bishop Arts.
Those are the complaints of some Oak Cliff neighbors who want City Council to review the practices of valet companies in Bishop Arts.
Amy Cowan of Go Oak Cliff, who is a co-owner of Oddfellows, began circulating a survey/petition last week asking neighbors their level of support for the current parking situation.
I like the valet the way it is now.
I want all valet removed.
Valet is fine, but needs to be relocated immediately.
Valet should only be allowed to operate in private lots.
City Councilman Scott Griggs has said business and property owners are coming up with a plan to move the valet stand from the corner of Bishop at Seventh, where it blocks public parking spaces and unnecessarily holds up traffic. The stand would move to Bishop Avenue between Seventh and Eighth. In that case, at least some of the on-street parking on Bishop wouldn’t be available for self-park while the valet companies operate.
Like so many, I enjoy Bishop Arts. I was pulling into a spot on Seventh which was the first spot away from Bishop that didn’t have a cone blocking it. A valet attendant bolted over stating it was for valet only and wanted me to move or leave my keys with him- I refused him and stated that it is a public/city-owned space. He backed away but obviously irritated.
It’s bad enough that in so many places (Mia’s on Lemmon) that you have to surrender your keys in a private lot, but when it’s a public space, it’s even more egregious.