Parking Part 1: A walk down parking meter memory lane…
This will be a two part article, the first one focusing on the parking meters, the second one will be up either tomorrow or Tuesday on the parking garages. Inspired from the recent articles in the daily paper about downtown parking.
The elimination of parking meters has been a much discussed topic, going back as far as 1964 when Maumee City Council voted to get rid of their 200 parking meters, “they once served their purpose in relieving tremendous traffic conditions in the main business section, but now they are a detriment to business.” Let that quote sink in for a short time and remember this was back in 1964…
The City of Toledo’s offering free parking between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. as well as free after 5:00 p.m. during the week and on weekends and holidays (well some holidays) was designed with the businesses in mind. The problem has been and continues to be Downtown workers who use the meters as opposed to parking lots. In 2002 the Blade did an investigative report writing in part on August August 13, 2002:
The cash-strapped city of Toledo could collect as much as $400,000 if it cracked down on the thousands of people who refuse to pay their parking tickets every year.
Each day dozens of people snatch the tickets off their windshields, toss them aside, and never think about them again. A Blade investigation revealed more than 53,000 people are dodging nearly 120,000 outstanding parking tickets.For ParkSmart, the agency authorized by the Downtown Toledo Parking Authority to monitor meters and city-owned parking garages, those scofflaws already owe $100,000 this year. And city of Toledo police officers have written $299,000 worth of tickets that have not been paid.
The result: ParkSmart collects on just 39 percent of its tickets. That’s slightly worse than the 42 percent collected by the Toledo police on parking tickets it issues.
This article as well as the article from today’s Blade (link) reference the Downtown workers who use meters, previous articles have also referenced confusion over holidays when downtown workers thought the meters would be free, the day after Thanksgiving as an example, and discovered tickets on their windshields.
The idea of eliminating parking meters in total has been suggested many times, even by some mayoral hopefuls. The reality is ParkSmart makes more money from tickets than they do from meters, at least they did in a January 16, 2006 a Blade article on the possibility of parking meters being replaced by kiosks contained this quote:
(Clayton Johnston, president of ParkSmart) Mr. Johnston said, however, that his agency believes most of its ticket revenue comes from people who fail to pay at all for parking and from people who don’t pay their tickets promptly, thus incurring penalties.
I’ve watched from the window of the Toledo Free Press as those few unlucky souls who lingered a bit longer than 2:00 p.m. at The Blarney discover the ticket on their window.
So what’s the solution? Making people not want to come Downtown is definitely not the solution, nor is completely eliminating the meters if those who work Downtown are going to use it as all day free parking instead of what it was designed for.
One simple solution would be to give each Downtown business that only has metered parking as an option one or two spaces designated for them. ParkSmart could easily assign each business a color or a number on a specially designed card, and the businesses would then be able to use them for their delivery drivers or that owner stopping in to just pick or drop something off.
Another one would be to make the first 15 or 20 minutes free at every meter, it’d give an extra 15 or 20 minute window before and after the lunch time bunch, make it possible for those who had a quick errand to still do so Downtown, meet the needs of the delivery personnel and business owners and the City could easily change the fine process, since it’s clear the ParkSmart employees patrol often, how about a lessor fine for the first half an hour, and if they come by and see the same vehicle there? Issue an additional fine.
We all know the City of Toledo needs revenue, we also all know that eliminating the meters without some sort of system in place to make sure they are accessible for the purpose designed for which is not all day parking, is important. So here’s your chance to share your idea or your own personal Downtown Toledo parking horror story…
This parking meter issue really gets to me. Hat Trick is not the only business to go through this. When Packos opened downtown, they had parking meters magically appear, and their patrons ticketed. Most recently when Pizza Papalis opened, some people parked on the left side of Huron St., next to 5/3rd Field. There weren’t any parking meters, and the area was marked with one little sign a great distance from the restaurant. Again, people were ticketed. This happened in the dead of Winter when the new pizza place opened, so no one was being hurt by this.
If the city leaders want businesses and patrons to comeback downtown, then they better damn-well do something about the out of control Downtown Parking Authority. The city leaders better figure out that then need us, more than we need them — Regarding coming downtown.
February 1st, 2010 at 8:49 amI think giving 1-2 parking spaces for business owners who rent downtown would be a great way to encourage growth and also ease the complaints.
That being said, the entire Hat Trick incident is ridiculous. I walk past his restaurant nearly every day and the parking meters out front are clearly marked and not confusing in the slightest. All he had to do was drop a couple dimes in the meter when he stopped to handle his business. You’d think he’d learn his lesson after the 6th or 7th ticket.
Parking should be clearly marked, monitored, and enforced. Pay your fines. Move on.
February 1st, 2010 at 9:09 amthis guy at hat trick is the very problem – he wants his parking space out front for him, not so much for customers. customers are accustomed to plugging meters and they are not the problem – it is office workers and business employees who have figured out that the existing laws/rules have very little teeth. find out who is not paying the tickets – they all work down there; you see the same people coming out of the buildings every couple hours to plug meters.
if every business owner were given a parking space, there wouldn’t be any spaces left for customers. it would be nice to have free parking downtown for customers but as soon as parking is free every employee would land in a free spot and customers would never get a spot outside.
also, he is closing when there is not a game because he isn’t generating business at other times NOT because of parking meters. believe it or not, there are sufficient number of venues for lunch or pre-game and his place doesn’t have much of a draw – he is getting free publicity out of this whole incident, however.
February 1st, 2010 at 10:13 am1-2 parking spaces for business owners who rent downtown does sound good.
I have seen these vultures wait a couple minutes just to give a ticket for an expired meter. Waiting for a meter, I think is a bit extreme.
Also Mesmerix the Hat Trick incident was not about the “parking meters out front are clearly marked and not confusing in the slightest”, it was about the vulture like ticketing the authority endures. The man had his car on, and i know quit well, when i sit in my car and the meter is expired i have never got a ticket.
February 1st, 2010 at 10:21 amAlso, he claims to have paid 500-600 dollars in tickets, this must be going in Mr. Clay tin Six figure income, which is sickining, 6 figures while business owners and downtown suffers.
While the Hat Trick may have started the focus on this issue this time, the problem with the Downtown meters and ParkSmart has been in existence before then and has been reported as a problem for other businesses.
The key to this seems to be to have a system in place where the meters are used for who they were designed for, which is not all day parking. That said, since it’s been reported that ParkSmart generates more from the tickets than they do the actual meters, it stands to reason that is why the “vigilance” or “vultures” depending on your view of what they do, exists.
I agree eliminating the meters would just create that parking being used by Downtown employees unless the same vigilence that’s used to catch people who don’t feed the meter was used to ticket those who were parking for longer than an hour or two.
This then raises a question when it comes to Downtown parking, if there was easy and affordable parking for employees, why would they continue to use meters when they had to go out so many times a day to feed the meters?
This problem has gone on for years, and it seems that if a solution to that aspect of it was discovered, perhaps some of the other issues would not exist.
February 1st, 2010 at 10:31 amIf the city of Toledo is really trying to revitalite the downtown area would they actually be willing to give up the half milllion in revenue as a good gesture of how serious they want people to go downtown.
February 1st, 2010 at 12:49 pmAlso, the people who have continually gone to garages will more than likely continue, with the limited space there is it should be free. IF parking is not available, people will just have to walk or be patient for one to open up. Not to many people like to park on a street all day because many have had their cars broke into. People to take the risk parking all day risk getting their car broke into as well. Free parking will only help downtown, I can not see it hurting at all. These people giving tickets can then be paid to fight crime. I would put them in the middle of the bus stop on jackson
February 1st, 2010 at 12:49 pmthe parking problem generally erupts when a new business moves into downtown – georgio’s or coney island (for example) have dealt with this for years and they are not in the media over these problems.
you are downtown – deal with it. other cities have much higher parking rates, and longer distances to walk to get to parking, and no free parking over lunch and yet they survive. want unfettered ability to park at your business’s front window, go to a strip mall.
having said that, clayton is paid too much and the parking authority is not responsive to the public.
February 1st, 2010 at 2:20 pmActually Coney Island is in the media if you havent been keeping up. Reread the article yesterday if you missed it.
and It’s not just because, “if a business is downtown that he has to deal with it”, just because thats the way its been for 16 years that it has to continue in the same way. Just because it is the law it does not mean it can not be changed; and just becuase “other cities have much higher parking rates, and longer distances to walk to get to parking, and no free parking over lunch and yet they survive”. Does not mean we have to be like or identical to others. Every city is unique in its own way.
Our downtown sucks! and as the blade states that we have “a downtown that has more parking lots than retail businesses,”. Why dont we post actual salaries for parking authority administraters. Im sure we will be appalled.
I think it is very interesting why they think its helping businesses downtown when its obviously not. Its helping their business only while everybody else suffers including the city of toledo. City officals have to do something, its not fair to anybody.
If we are so business friendly, it sounds to me, from at least the 10 business owner i know, and who the blade interviewed disliked the authorities practices.
If the city is really interested they should come to the business owners and the public in a public meeting, to get everybody’s share of ideas. Obviously if the owners feel that this practice hurts it should be considered.
Mayor Bell, parking authority is hurting businesses downtown, if you are really serious about improving downtown, take care of this problem accordingly. Everybody I talked to that owns a business downtown which is about 10, hate the practices of the Authority. ITs hard times I understand, but injustice one place is injustice everywhere.
We should cut Clayton Johnston’s pay in half its a recession and this guy definetly deserves it, otherwise lets get rid of the authority.
This will give you MR. Mayor utmost respect from overtly overwhelming population. Respect you deserve that you should already have but gets hindered because of a 40 million deficit from Fink whiner. Mr. Mayor you can change the way things operate, if anything at least look at the practices of the authority, because its truly hurting downtown.
February 1st, 2010 at 3:23 pmIt seems to me that the owner of the Hat Trick just wants to be able to park for free. I really do not find myself all the sympathetic towards him.
Maybe the city could just issue some kind of card that a person can put on their windshield for business owners and delivery people. Charge a small fee of maybe $10 a month for it or something like that.
February 1st, 2010 at 3:24 pmhttp://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100203/NEWS16/100209862
http://www.toledoonthemove.com/news/story.aspx?id=411060
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100203/OPINION02/2030315
I do have to agree with The Blade’s Editorial today on the parking issue and it’s about time the city start impounding cars for illegal parking/outstanding tickets which should be a consistent, daily process. The rules of parking should be applied to all equally and fairly; if people would just read/comprehend/obey the signs (i.e. free parking 11am-2pm, no parking, etc) we wouldn’t have any problems.
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:33 pmI agree with the blade editorial as well, but I think you missed the main point.
“Rather than grumbling at or ignoring laws they don’t like, downtown businesses owners should work with Toledo officials on real solutions.”,
But I think its a two way process, the blade editorial makes it seem like business owners should work with toledo officials on real solutions.
Isnt it toledo officals who want to make downtown grow and revitilize it. Toledo officals need to approach the businesses isnt that more fair. To me downtown will never grow because the law is racist. Most of the people that have to deal with downtown are poor, low to low middle class people.
How was Monet’s Market downtown (I believe it was called) going to survive when people who need to buy something pay more than krogers and still have to pay for parking, nobody in west toledo has to pay for parking, nobody except by the university.
Just because this does not effect people who have to do there shopping in downtown get effected they say “it shall remain the same”, nowadays the people of the Cherrywoods, Vistula, Madonna homes, and all of the North End are unfairly treated. They make it seem like its the greedy business owners, when rather its racist laws and rules. Just because we have had them since 1936 does not mean it has to stay the same.
Maumee gave it up we should as well, downtown parking is RACIST, THE ONLY PEOPLE EFFECTED ARE THE POOR, MOSTLY BLACK, WHO DEPEND ON DOWNTOWN for essential needs.
This city is Racist towards its population and nobody wants to do anything about it because “its always been this way”.
George Sarantou who is on the board does not care, he wants to maintain the status quo, good for you Georgey, how much are you paying Mr. Johnston? I am glad Carty did not sell, because it was a very unfair deal. 50,000 a year when we usually get 400,000 comon wake up.
Downtown Parking Authority is a Racist organization, at least in dealing with downtown parking issues.
February 3rd, 2010 at 1:18 pmConsidering part of the problem is directly related to those who work Downtown that abuse the parking meters rather than park in a lot, I’m not sure we can declare the Downtown parking issue to involve racism. If Downtown parking at the meters was declared free, it’s easy to see what would happen. Downtown workers would park there, all day and there would be even more problems. That was demonstrated when Key tried to give people free parking. Which is to be expected, if I were a Downtown worker and I could park for free as opposed to paying, I’m sure I would. When I worked Downtown years ago, I paid at the cheapest lot possible even though it was a longer walk.
I’d also point out that most of the Downtown businesses are not designed for the poor, black or white.
I do agree however, that it is a situation where the City should be working with businesses to address the problem and part of the problem related to the disconnect is that the parking is controlled by ParkSmart so it’s going to take the City, ParkSmart and perhaps the Downtown Business Authority to work together.
February 3rd, 2010 at 1:34 pmYes, I agree with you for the most part, how about making it pay parking from 7-12, downtown employees usually park between these times. and Free for the rest of the day.
If you want to read this it really grasps the ideas.
http://www.publicradio.org/columns/marketplace/scratchpad/2010/02/blood_from_a_parking_meter.html
February 3rd, 2010 at 1:41 pmhj, I totally agree with your comment in regards to being a “two-way process” between the businesses and city on real solutions.
February 3rd, 2010 at 1:44 pmJust in case the Blade has forgotten this was a concern of St. Paul church, if anybody is interested please read it. It is directly addressing Mr. Block and downtown parking concerns of the church very interesting considering its from 20 years ago
February 3rd, 2010 at 1:50 pmhttp://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vQkVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cgIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4678,4094435&dq=toledo+parking&hl=en