Just putting up parking fees everywhere - not great.

Honestly, this can be good too. I've seen many places where parking is "free" and the end result is that there isn't any parking available other than expensive private lots. The city is robbing itself then: It's diverting the revenue from parking into private hands, which also encourages private parking lots which are an urban blight, and making it less convenient and affordable for business customers while a handful of people squat on the free parking all-day every-day.

Everybody would be happier if the street had affordably-priced meters. Everybody except for the people who are using that street-side parking all-day every-day, but those people are basically poaching very limited and valuable land from the municipality.

I’d agree that making a structural change to remove vehicle parking and install bicycle/public transportation infrastructure sounds great.

But I read the comment above yours as saying that the mayor simply made existing free parking into paid parking. Not sure that’s doing much other than reducing the business activity in the area.

“Removing parking” is not great when you stop there. Too many places skip the rest of your sentence

Conveniently also forgot where all the money was going too because the only thing they seem to pay for is more flock cameras.

I’m not so sure. If it’s done to encourage public transportation and biking, and the money generated by parking funds increased non-car infrastructure like bike lanes etc, then sure.

But just slapping parking meters on formerly free parking and the money simply going into the city’s general fund (which is what I’m sure is happening here) I wouldn’t call it an improvement.

Because Wichita is not a busy city and they also tolled the free parking lots they built a decade back. If you want to go to the cultural heart or file a document at the courthouse you better be prepared to walk two miles or pay for parking.

I get that free parking is a novelty everywhere else, though I compare that to wondering why anyone would want automated tax returns when you can just pay for turbo tax, but Wichita is new to that and of all the options to pad the revenue stream the mayor picked the one that takes it out of the citizens and small businesses.