Business Editor
Tony Arnold knows what it's like when his customers can't park near his store because of issues with parking meters.
"I was facing major defections from my customers, who would call me on a weekly basis and say why they weren't coming back to downtown Athens, Ga.," said the owner of Jackson Street Books. "I started stomping and hollering about this."
Some downtown Augusta merchants have similar complaints, and the Downtown Development Authority believes it has a solution.
If the Augusta Commission approves next month, parking meters could return to Broad Street for the first time in 31 years.
The authority says the plan, which it introduced Thursday, is designed to push long-term parkers to other areas of the downtown, allowing patrons to use the spaces in front of the businesses.
In Athens, resolving the parking problem wasn't easy -- even though the city has had parking meters since 1976.
Downtown merchants first faced a problem with students from the University of Georgia using downtown as their parking lot, Mr. Arnold said. To address that situation, city officials required that the meters be fed every hour, which inconvenienced patrons.
Athens also faced a problem Augusta has, Mr. Arnold said -- workers were occupying the parking spaces meant for customers.
Athens adjusted its pricing this summer, making the meters prepaid with a two-hour limit and increasing fines enough to force workers onto long-term lots.
The changes haven't created a surge in customers, but "we are noticing a lot more available parking downtown, which is what we wanted to accomplish," said Mr. Arnold.
Kathryn Lookofsky, the executive director of Athens Downtown Development, said downtown shoppers like the pricing changes. The charge is 50 cents an hour at Athens' 750 meters.
"It's a down economy, so business has dropped, but there's no indication it is because of parking. I have gotten positive response from customers and business owners who are thrilled it is easier to park downtown now," Ms. Lookofsky said.
Other cities have brought back parking meters. In Charlotte, N.C., meters were on a 20-year hiatus until the city put them back in 1997, said Clement Gibson, the special programs manager for the Charlotte Department of Transportation.
"It did make the uptown area look more lively. It has provided a service for short-term parkers. People prefer to park on the street rather than a deck, if it is a short-term event. And they feel safer on the street," Ms. Gibson said.
The city has 1,100 parking meters downtown and charges $1 an hour, which is the proposed rate for the Augusta meters.
Ms. Gibson said the meters became an important aspect of the central business district's revitalization efforts. It is also looking to upgrade the technology of its meters.
A dozen metro areas similar in size to Augusta -- from Modesto, Calif., to Portland, Maine -- also have parking meters in their central business districts.
"We're the last city in the world," said Margaret Woodard, the director of Augusta's downtown development authority.
The authority proposed spending $1 million to install meters to oversee 1,100 parking spaces in the Broad Street corridor, from Fifth Street to 13th Street. On-street spaces will cost $1 an hour with a two-hour limit. The median parking areas will have a four-hour limit.
Madison, Wis., charges $1.50 an hour on 1,600 meters. Chattanooga, Tenn., charges 75 cents on 1,800 meters.
Downtown parking in Augusta is currently free everywhere for two hours, and it would remain that way outside the Broad Street area if the meters are brought back.
The DDA is holding two meetings Thursday to go over its plan with the public. The meetings, at noon and 6 p.m., will be held in the White's Building, 936 Broad St., where the DDA has its office.
"I think everyone would prefer that parking was free everywhere, but it's a necessary evil in order to keep the on-street spaces turning like they should," Ms. Lookofsky said.
Tweaks in the system seem to have worked: The pay-to-park has opened places for customers in downtown Athens, Mr. Arnold said. "People understand why we have meters. ... No one wants to penalize people for coming downtown, but it is necessary to make parking available," he said.
Reach Tim Rausch at (706) 823-3352 or timothy.rausch@augustachronicle.com.
PARKING METER Q&A
Q: How would the new meters work?
A: The solar-powered meters accept coins, paper currency, credit cards and debit cards. They also provide change.
Q: What's the cost?
A: Metering 1,000 spaces will cost $1 million. City leaders have not settled on funding, but ideas that have been mentioned include local option sales tax money and private investment.
Q: Where will the net proceeds of this program go?
A: The installation of new and improved signage, streets, alleys, sidewalks, street lighting and landscaping.
Q: Are these coin meters like before?
A: The new meters will accept coins, paper currency, and credit and debit cards. They will provide change. The city will also make available some rechargeable frequent-use cards that will refund unused time. The meters will be solar powered and be able to monitor multiple parking spaces. Sensors in the road will tell the meter that a car has entered the space. There is a 5-minute grace period. The meter will inform ticketing agents when someone has overstayed the limit.
Q: When will this happen?
A: The proposal still needs Augusta Commission approval. The plan will be brought to the commission in January. If approved, the meters will be ready in mid-April, after Masters Week. A fine-free 30-day trial period will be used to get people accustomed to the new system.
Q: Where are the residents going to park?
A: A permit parking system will be implemented to allow residents to park on the street between certain hours in the evening and throughout the night without having to pay for parking. The DDA has identified three lots on Ellis Street that could serve this purpose.
Q: What about First Friday?
A: First Friday starts at 6 p.m., which is when the metered parking ends for the day.
Q: How much is a parking ticket?
A: A ticket for an expired meter will be $25. The city currently fines $20 for people who park longer than two hours.
Q: What's the operating budget for the parking management?
A: The DDA has not finalized its income and expense expectations for the parking meter enforcement and collection system.
Q: What about the other downtown streets?
A: The current rules -- parking for free for two hours -- will remain in place on other streets, such as Greene and Telfair.
Q: Where will the meters go?
A: The central business district. Broad Street from Fifth to 13th streets and the side streets in that area to Reynolds and Ellis streets.
Q: How much will the city charge?
A: The parallel parking spaces will cost $1 an hour with a two-hour limit. Median parking will cost $1 an hour, but the limit with be four hours. The meters will be in use from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
