Parking meters return; create problems for students, residents
It’s been almost a year since the city of Kent installed parking meters in its downtown area in the hopes of making traffic flow more efficient.
There are now 200 meters in downtown Kent, but in the 1970s, there were 400 meters in operation. These meters were not meant to do harm, but to help Kent businesses keep a constant customer flow. The return of parking meters is the latest phase of a comprehensive parking plan the city developed in cooperation with businesses and property owners.
“The parking meters were installed solely as a mechanism for better enforcement of the 2-hour parking limit downtown,” said Bridget Susel, Director of Community Development for Kent. “Many of the downtown businesses provide personal services, retail shopping and dining relying on frequent customer turnover to keep their business operating, and many of the businesses complained that downtown workers were parking for more than 2 hours in spots that should be turning over for customers.”
Parking Meters Make a Comeback in Downtown Kent
The plan tries to match the parking needs with as flexible a parking supply as possible for those who visit and work in Kent’s newly revitalized downtown, according to a press released obtained from Susel.
“To be successful downtown, shops need customers to have quick and easy access to their stores, which is why the city of Kent offered to bring parking meters back to downtown,” said Heather Malarcik, Executive Director of Main Street Kent. “Incorporating single-space meters into the downtown parking plan adds yet another alternative to the variety of free and paid parking choices available in the city’s vibrant and bustling downtown.”
Map of Installed Parking Meters Downtown
Some Kent State University students who work downtown believe the return of these meters has been more of an issue than anything.
Senior Sam Feuer, who works at the Kent State clothing store UniversiTees, said she can’t park near her work because of the meters and other lots that are inaccessible to the public until after certain hours.
Feuer works the 9:15 a.m. shift and parks briefly at a meter so she can run in to open her store, then run back out to move her car. She then must run back to the store after she parks several blocks away to start her shift.
“The meters are just really annoying. I’ve gotten two tickets, but if you explain to them they’re pretty good about dropping the fee,” Feuer said. “One time I parked at 4:45 p.m. and the meters stop at five, and someone ticketed me in that time frame. (The people who deal with the tickets) are nice, but you have to go out of your way and it’s just a hassle.”
Kent State’s new architecture building has some parking issues of its own. It doesn’t allow students to park in the attached lot, making it even harder for architecture students to find parking.
“One day I literally watched a meter reader give me a ticket,” said Katie Lester, an architecture major. “I was in class and as soon as it was over I ran to my car knowing my meter was almost up. I never see anyone giving tickets (except that day). It’s just awful.”
| Connection between parking meters and spike in citations? |
| Parking citations in Kent more than doubled from 2014 to 2015, the latter year when the city reintroduced parking meters in its downtown area to improve life for businesses. Before 2015, the highest number of citations in the past 10 years was in 2009 when 3,834 tickets were issued. |
Kent residents also have bad feeling toward the new parking meters and believe they do not help traffic.
“I am downtown almost everyday and I have not noticed any major difference in traffic flow because of the parking meters. I don’t think they are necessary,” resident Julie Schmidt said. “I think most people believe that the meters are somehow there to help defray the cost of all the renovations to downtown.”
The charge for parking meters is $1 per hour, but a ticket will cost $15 or more.
Kent City Council has planned to discuss parking meters before the end of the year and officials say they will have better plans for 2017.
Why did Kent bring back parking meters to its downtown area in 2015? Check out our story to find this out: https://t.co/VX9AH0HZVM #JMCRPP
— Kyle Samec (@LakeCougar2012) November 21, 2016
Kent State students share their feelings on downtown parking meters https://t.co/dQOeSecRxK #JMCRPP
— Lauren Stebelton (@LaurenStebelton) November 21, 2016
#JMCRPP Check out our story on the City of Kent's parking meters. https://t.co/qOSM2P2mJM
— samantha (@samlough9) November 21, 2016
