MONROE - An informal parking study overseen by Mayor Louis Armstrong found parking availability has not been an issue within the downtown Square and instead identified a decrease in pedestrian and vehicle traffic as the problem for area business owners.
Armstrong shared the results of a parking count with the Monroe Common Council on Tuesday.
The parking study was conducted from June through August. Eleven participants evaluated exit and entrance streets in the downtown area and five main parking lots. Counts were taken throughout each week, mainly from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays and from 2 to 4 p.m. each Saturday.
Armstrong said the study found overall occupancy of parked cars to be 54 percent, with all five lots around 50 percent full unless an event was being held in the area, which decreased parking availability.
"I don't think we need timed parking; I didn't feel or see the need for it," Armstrong said. "I could park there anytime. I could find a parking spot within that block. I still think a parking ramp would be nice ... but it'd be a $4 million luxury."
Alderman Ron Marsh said studies done in the past never indicated there was an issue.
"We really don't have a parking problem," Marsh said.
Armstrong agreed and said the findings of his examination were more troublesome.
"What I'm seeing and concerned about, is a declining trend of people downtown, basically," Armstrong said.
Rather than spending money to institute timed parking, which had been considered by the city in debate over the 2017 budget last year, Armstrong proposed the council consider funding to attract more people to the Square and identify why pedestrian traffic has declined to stop the trend.
Another method of monitoring found traffic had decreased over the last three years.
A graph created through use of cameras set up by downtown business Rainbow Confections measured a decrease in cars and pedestrians passing business windows as well as near the Green County Courthouse from October of 2014 to August of this year.
Armstrong noted Minhas Brewery tours dropped by roughly 1,000 people annually within the same time frame.
Alderman Charles Koch said patronage of the Saturday farmers market on the Square has steadily increased. Armstrong said events, such as the market or Concerts on the Square, were not being affected by a lack of attendance but that everyday visitors were becoming fewer in number.
Fellow council member Tom Miller said he had spoken to Jordan Nordby, executive director of Main Street Monroe. Nordby, Miller said, explained local business owners found customers avoided the Square because parking was difficult to find. Alderman Michael Boyce added that if fewer people are frequenting the downtown area, building a new mixed-use area along 98 acres of land on the north side of the city would be a mistake.
A study conducted by Rich & Associates in summer months of 2015 identified a need for additional parking or timed parking because parked cars were numerous enough to lead drivers to believe the area was full. Rich & Associates project managers contended this occurred anytime 65 percent or more of the area was in use.
However, Armstrong said comparisons during the same hours on the same date showed 10 percent less use in the area.
Armstrong shared the results of a parking count with the Monroe Common Council on Tuesday.
The parking study was conducted from June through August. Eleven participants evaluated exit and entrance streets in the downtown area and five main parking lots. Counts were taken throughout each week, mainly from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays and from 2 to 4 p.m. each Saturday.
Armstrong said the study found overall occupancy of parked cars to be 54 percent, with all five lots around 50 percent full unless an event was being held in the area, which decreased parking availability.
"I don't think we need timed parking; I didn't feel or see the need for it," Armstrong said. "I could park there anytime. I could find a parking spot within that block. I still think a parking ramp would be nice ... but it'd be a $4 million luxury."
Alderman Ron Marsh said studies done in the past never indicated there was an issue.
"We really don't have a parking problem," Marsh said.
Armstrong agreed and said the findings of his examination were more troublesome.
"What I'm seeing and concerned about, is a declining trend of people downtown, basically," Armstrong said.
Rather than spending money to institute timed parking, which had been considered by the city in debate over the 2017 budget last year, Armstrong proposed the council consider funding to attract more people to the Square and identify why pedestrian traffic has declined to stop the trend.
Another method of monitoring found traffic had decreased over the last three years.
A graph created through use of cameras set up by downtown business Rainbow Confections measured a decrease in cars and pedestrians passing business windows as well as near the Green County Courthouse from October of 2014 to August of this year.
Armstrong noted Minhas Brewery tours dropped by roughly 1,000 people annually within the same time frame.
Alderman Charles Koch said patronage of the Saturday farmers market on the Square has steadily increased. Armstrong said events, such as the market or Concerts on the Square, were not being affected by a lack of attendance but that everyday visitors were becoming fewer in number.
Fellow council member Tom Miller said he had spoken to Jordan Nordby, executive director of Main Street Monroe. Nordby, Miller said, explained local business owners found customers avoided the Square because parking was difficult to find. Alderman Michael Boyce added that if fewer people are frequenting the downtown area, building a new mixed-use area along 98 acres of land on the north side of the city would be a mistake.
A study conducted by Rich & Associates in summer months of 2015 identified a need for additional parking or timed parking because parked cars were numerous enough to lead drivers to believe the area was full. Rich & Associates project managers contended this occurred anytime 65 percent or more of the area was in use.
However, Armstrong said comparisons during the same hours on the same date showed 10 percent less use in the area.