We’ve all been there before. You’re sitting in the driver’s seat clutching the wheel with all your might as you circle. Peering out the windows like an eagle searching for its prey.

Nothing can be quite as frustrating as driving around in circles trying to find a parking spot. And the situation is all too common in downtown Natchez where one-way streets wreak havoc on motorists searching for a quick trip in and out of downtown stores and shops.

Now don’t get us wrong.

We’re not complaining about the downtown parking problem. All of those circling motorists means our downtown is alive and kicking, which makes Natchez the envy of many cities.

But what irritates us is that many times the cars filling those parking spaces are occupied by downtown business owners or employees who park directly in front of their businesses.

What kind of a message does that send to customers or potential customers?

We know from personal experience that it leaves a patron with a bad taste in his mouth.

The City of Natchez has tried to solve the problem by making many of the parking spaces two-hour spaces in an attempt to discourage people who work downtown from constantly filling the best parking spots.

But instead of remedying the problem, instead it causes &uot;musical parking&uot; where drivers constantly move from one spot to another every two hours to prevent getting a ticket.

Today a group of concerned business owners and citizens will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Historic Natchez Foundation on Commerce Street in an attempt to work on a constructive solution to the problem. If you’d like to help solve the problem and not merely crab about it, we encourage you to attend.