by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Parking on the street Downtown has always been an issue. It’s getting bigger every day and it will become even more of an issue as more urban core commercial and residential projects are developed.
Some of the changes being considered concerning Downtown parking issues range as far as high-tech computerized meters that can record how often a parking space is used and how long each vehicle is parked in the space. Meters are also available that could be programmed to adjust parking rates and maximum times, allowing changes for special events or to meet the growing needs of businesses and their customers. Some of the most advanced meters can allow users to purchase or add parking time with a stored-value card or even through their cell phone.
City Council Member Suzanne Jenkins said before the City spends any money to make parking meters Downtown achieve 21st-century state-of-the-art capabilities, she would like to see an old-fashioned solution put in place to eliminate confusion about how to park.
Currently, the legal boundaries at metered spaces are imaginary lines that are first interpreted by the person parking, then later by parking enforcement officers.
“That sets up the animosity that people may feel when they come Downtown,” said Jenkins. “Parallel parking is hard enough, especially if you’re not used to it. To not give people any guidelines as to where you can park at a meter and then give them a ticket for being one inch too far in front, behind or away from the curb seems punitive when there is nothing there to show the boundaries.”
According to a City ordinance that regulates metered parking, in order to be properly parked at a meter the car’s front bumper must be within six inches of either side of the meter. The biggest issue regarding the ordinance is the number of people who are aware of it.
Jenkins doesn’t think a solution would be a complicated or costly project.
“I can’t believe that we can’t use inmate labor to paint the lines,” she said, referring to lines perpendicular to the curb that would indicate the front and back boundaries of a curbside parking space. “Let’s get the paint and get it done as soon as possible so that people coming Downtown understand how you park at a meter. If you park differently and you get a ticket, then you’re not going to be so shocked.
“This is an infrastructure issue. It’s not sexy, it’s not cool, but it’s one of the things that can make such a difference in a person’s experience when they come Downtown.”