[OMS_MANAGERS] downtown parking

[Downtown Bend-Chuck Arnold]

We don't have a parking problem. :)

Right now we have two hours free on the street and then you are effectively
banned from parking downtown for the rest of the day (so much for the 'shop,
dine, linger, enjoy' message-you basically have to choose one of those
things to do given the time you have). We have a move to evade policy which
means that you have to move your car 750 feet to reset the clock. Employees
that are repeat offenders face escalating fines after a few tickets in a
year. A $22 ticket can quickly rise to $100 per infraction!

The whole goal of our parking policy is to address employees. Customers
sometimes get penalized. The challenge is, the customers are usually engaged
in other thoughts and don't bother reading 10 point font on a parking sign
that explains the policy. For that situation, we created (and the city
successfully adopted) a "first time forgiveness for out of state plates".
These folks (99% of the time, tourists/customers) get a warning and an
information flyer instead of a ticket. That program has worked well.

If we could change things, we'd make it simple and think like a business. We
would get rid of the "move to evade" policy and focus on how we can best
serve customers.

Chuck Arnold
Downtown Bend Business Association
a nonprofit working to keep downtown vibrant
www.DowntownBend.org 
(541) 788-3628


-----Original Message-----
From: oms_managers-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us
[mailto:oms_managers-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us] On Behalf Of Erik
Nobel
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 9:02 AM
To: Oregon Main Street program managers
Subject: Re: [OMS_MANAGERS] downtown parking

Our downtown parking district has the block rule.  The reason for the rule
is to keep downtown employees from parking in front of their business and
then rolling up just one space every two hours.  It might be annoying to
downtown customers, but we haven't received any complaints about this rule
from downtown costumers.  We only receive complaints from the downtown
employees (the one this rule is aimed at) 

Erik Nobel
City of Klamath Falls
Planning Manager 
Phone: 541.883.5254

-----Original Message-----
From: oms_managers-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us
[mailto:oms_managers-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us] On Behalf Of Salem
Downtown Partnership
Sent: Saturday, May 26, 2012 11:14 AM
To: oms_managers at listsmart.osl.state.or.us
Subject: [OMS_MANAGERS] downtown parking

Hi all,

The City of Salem has a clause in their 2 hour parking ordinance we find
annoying.  The clause prevents our customers from parking more than once per
day on any block downtown.  Example, if a customer comes downtown in the
morning for coffee, and comes back in the afternoon to shop, and happens to
park in the same block they used in the morning - they get a ticket. . . .
Needless to say this has been a major problems for our customers who want to
support us, but also don't like getting tickets.

Do any of your cities have this ordinance, and what have you done about it?

Carole Smith
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