Downtown business owners have long been faced with the dilemma of parking.  It would be very nice to compete with suburban business by offering free parking, but at the same time, with only a limited amount of parking available, what was to keep someone from parking in front of your store all day long?  The answer has always been the venerable, if unpopular, parking meter.

But the days of dropping two quarters into one of the bright yellow meters and being allowed to park for five hours are now a thing of the past.  In fact, getting an hour of parking for a quarter is now also in the realm of “remember when,” as city work crews finished updating the last of the downtown parking meters to the new rate of 20 minutes for 25 cents.

There is good and bad in the change.  The good: It makes it easier to find a parking space since turnover is faster.  That can actually help businesses by increasing the number of people able to visit their stores and restaurants.  The bad: With the many malls, shopping centers, suburban restaurants and stores with expansive free parking lots, the allure of shopping downtown is lessened.

To what extent that affects downtown merchants remains to be seen, but the initial response to the news has been less than enthusiastic.  Naturally, people never like paying more for anything.  Seeing an increase from 25¢ to 75¢ an hour may not be much in the realm of pocket change, but the principle of tripling the fee has many residents annoyed.  “They are way too expensive now,” said one man after hearing of the new rates.  However, some are less upset than others.  “I only use them when I am pressed for time anyway,” another man commented. “Maybe it will free up some of the spaces in front of banks and the court house.”

There is one curiosity factor to the news.  Not all of the yellow five-hour meters are being removed.  Two of them will remain at Patten Parkway, and the reason is a bit odd.  According to CARTA Executive Director Tom Dugan, who has overseen the installation and updating of the parking meters, there is an old agreement with a nearby business owner to keep those in place in exchange for the cutting of a tree.

Maybe some other enterprising downtown entrepreneurs could bag a pair of tree trimmers and strike a similar deal with the city. Who knows—maybe this could be a way for the city to stay green and foliage friendly while benefiting downtown shoppers at the same time.

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