Whatever the City of Monroe decides to do about parking meters downtown, the more simple the solution the better.
The Monroe Main Street Design Committee last week heard options from Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley for parking on the Square. The current plans for the "Downtown and Beyond" streetscaping project do not include individual parking meters.
The questions are whether to continue having parking meters on the Square, and if not whether parking fees should continue to be collected and how.
Monroe Mayor Ron Marsh correctly told the committee last week that it's time to come up with a long-term answer on parking meters and fees. The discussion comes up every couple of years, but now with a downtown renovation around the corner it's time to settle the issue.
It's understandable why the streetscape plans would not include parking meters. They are not pleasing to the eye.
It's also understandable why the cash-strapped city would want to collect parking fees, although as Kelley noted the meters have been operating at a loss since the 1980s.
But, frankly, the two options Kelley presented for getting rid of meters but still collecting parking fees do not sound simple. In fact, they sound confusing to consumers.
A pay-and-display system would require drivers to purchase time at a machine and return to the vehicle to place a receipt on the dashboard. Machines would be located at the corners of the Square.
A pay-for-space system would allow drivers to pay for a designated space, marked either with a post or painted number, or on a map.
As Kelley said, there would be education and training required for people who park downtown. There also could be extra walking involved. Neither is a simple or welcoming approach to parking. Neither would be conducive to increasing traffic to downtown businesses.
The streetscaping project is intended to make the Square area more pleasing to the eye, but also more conducive to retail business. A Square without parking meters, and without customers having to pay a parking fee, makes sense in regard to both goals.
If the city is losing money on its current meter system, there is no revenue lost by forgoing parking fees and fines. Raising fees and fines might bring revenue to the city, but also discourage shoppers from coming to the Square.
While free parking brings its own complications - no revenue for upkeep and potential overuse by store owners and employees - it appears to be the best and most simple option available.
The Monroe Main Street Design Committee last week heard options from Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley for parking on the Square. The current plans for the "Downtown and Beyond" streetscaping project do not include individual parking meters.
The questions are whether to continue having parking meters on the Square, and if not whether parking fees should continue to be collected and how.
Monroe Mayor Ron Marsh correctly told the committee last week that it's time to come up with a long-term answer on parking meters and fees. The discussion comes up every couple of years, but now with a downtown renovation around the corner it's time to settle the issue.
It's understandable why the streetscape plans would not include parking meters. They are not pleasing to the eye.
It's also understandable why the cash-strapped city would want to collect parking fees, although as Kelley noted the meters have been operating at a loss since the 1980s.
But, frankly, the two options Kelley presented for getting rid of meters but still collecting parking fees do not sound simple. In fact, they sound confusing to consumers.
A pay-and-display system would require drivers to purchase time at a machine and return to the vehicle to place a receipt on the dashboard. Machines would be located at the corners of the Square.
A pay-for-space system would allow drivers to pay for a designated space, marked either with a post or painted number, or on a map.
As Kelley said, there would be education and training required for people who park downtown. There also could be extra walking involved. Neither is a simple or welcoming approach to parking. Neither would be conducive to increasing traffic to downtown businesses.
The streetscaping project is intended to make the Square area more pleasing to the eye, but also more conducive to retail business. A Square without parking meters, and without customers having to pay a parking fee, makes sense in regard to both goals.
If the city is losing money on its current meter system, there is no revenue lost by forgoing parking fees and fines. Raising fees and fines might bring revenue to the city, but also discourage shoppers from coming to the Square.
While free parking brings its own complications - no revenue for upkeep and potential overuse by store owners and employees - it appears to be the best and most simple option available.
