BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo AKG Art Museum is bringing out big crowds this week. Although you need a ticket in advance for opening week, the turnout makes it a problem for guests looking for parking.
Many attendees visiting the new AKG Art Museum building or attending the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge race parked on a grass area. When they returned, they found a $60 parking ticket.
It was upsetting for visitors attending events. Pamela Garbowski is among them.
"A $60 parking ticket? Not a warning. Not a small fine but $60. I wasn't parked illegally on the street. I wasn't going down a wrong-way street. I was just parked on the grass to see something they were advertising for free to see what took them what, 42 months?" she said.
The same applies to the dozens of others who did the same.
Garbowski was visiting the new AKG Art Museum building with her family. When it was time to leave, she saw something sticking out from her windshield; a $60 parking ticket.
The limited parking was anticipated by the museum. A few days ago, Janne Siren, director of the museum, acknowledged it.
"My only apology before it has even happened is the traffic jams and the parking crisis that I predict might be upon us," Siren says.
To be fair, the parking garage is closed, and there aren't any "No Parking" signs. The art museum says they're going to be posting signs.
However, even when the parking garage is complete, the museum still predicts parking will be limited.
In a statement by Siren, the art museum said, “For years, parking in the museum’s neighborhood has presented an issue to visitors and residents. Even when our new parking garage is open and operational, we anticipate that parking will continue to be in short supply. Over a period of nearly five years, we have proactively engaged the owners of nearby, often unused parking lots to develop a collaborative solution, and we urge them to continue those conversations with us in order to avoid inconveniencing the tens of thousands of visitors we plan to welcome in the coming months.”
A spokesperson from The City of Buffalo says nearly 100 tickets were issued yesterday. He recommends if anyone feels like they received a parking ticket in error, to schedule a hearing with Parking Enforcement by email or mail.
Their email is pvboffice@buffalony.gov