Thursday, September 9, 2010
News More on parking
Posted by Cliff Bostock @cliffbostock on Thu, Sep 9, 2010 at 3:51 PM
- Cliff Bostock
I read your column about Paul Luna’s Freedom of Information Act request. That’s funny… but the City of Atlanta is sort of well-known for ignoring FOIAs (I don’t understand how they manage to get away with it.)...Having gone to a neighborhood review meeting downtown regarding the kiosks, and meeting a few of the PARKAtlanta folks and the COA Department of Transportation folks in charge of the parking program, "Oh boy!" Is about all I can really say.
There are supposed to be neighborhood meetings held by PARKAtlanta, but that schedule’s not been released yet that I know of. A neighbor of mine has pushed the issue so there will be one for Midtown next week.
As far as I know, there was no NPU/neighborhood review of the parking meter installation plan. Been to TopFlr lately? They stuck meters in front of a residential condo that doesn’t have enough off-street parking to accommodate residents.
Sara included a city news release with the revised breakdown of parking zones, maximum time and hours of enforcement. The changes are being implemented now. Booting and towing, which had been suspended, has resumed. The last zone in the news release below specifically affects restaurants and you'll note that enforcement is later than in most other zones:
CITY OF ATLANTA IMPLEMENTS NEW PARKING ZONESPARKatlanta, a collaborative initiative led by the City's Department of Public Works is enhancing our parking operations with new technology, single-space and multi-space solar-powered meters as well as enhanced signage and payment options.
In accordance with the recommendations of the Atlanta City Council Transportation Sub-Committee on Parking Enforcement, the Department of Public Works is enhancing the service levels for the PARKatlanta On-street Parking Management Program. We are implementing new parking zones including business, government, schools, entertainment and mixed-use zones in metered locations to accommodate the uses of particular areas.
Business/Government zone:
This is an area where parking is occupied by patrons of business or government offices with high need for turnover parking
Enforcement days are Monday through Saturday
Enforcement hours are 7 A.M. to 7 P.M.
Parking time limit is two hours
Mixed Use zone
This is an area where historic buildings have multiple uses which include both residential and commercial but do not have onsite parking
Enforcement days are Monday through Friday
Enforcement hours are 8 A.M. to 6 P.M.
Parking time limit is three hours
School/University zone
This is an area where the majority of parking is occupied by attendees of post-secondary colleges and/or universities
Enforcement days are Monday through Saturday
Enforcement hours are 7 A.M. to 7 P.M.
Parking time limit is three hours
Entertainment/Restaurant/Hospital zones
This is an area where the majority of parking is occupied by patrons of theaters, museums, restaurants, other entertainment venues, and hospitals
Enforcement days are Monday through Saturday
Enforcement hours are 7 A.M. to 10 P.M.
Parking time limit is four hours
No metered on-street parking enforcement will occur on Sundays or City-observed holidays.
For more information about the City of Atlanta's parking enforcement program, please visit: www.PARKatlanta.org or call (404) 330-6739.
Comments (9)
Showing 1-9 of 9
I say everyone who see a meter about to expire drop a quarter in it so park atlanta can't write a ticket or boot it. It do not matter if it not your car . Im sure this will pick up and be widespread throughout the city before you know it. Someone could save you a ticket on your car . It not illegal to help a fellow citizen out . I say let's do it . Love to see the face of a ticket maid thinking they have a hit, and some stranger put in a quarter or two..
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It says 4 hours for entertainment but the meters across from/in front of the Variety Playhouse are 2 hours.
Also, the machines in Little 5 don't say that the meters are not enforced on Sunday. It will still take your money.
The funny part of this is that the City of Atlanta is missing meters in tons of places, thus making it legal to park there (if there is no sign on a block of a street, it is legal to park there in most circumstances).
For instance, 10th street by home park/georgia tech doesnt have no parking signs on a majority of its blocks. People pay $20 to park at georgia tech, when its legal to park right there on 10th street! many parts of peachtree dont have no parking signs, meaning its legal to park on them too.
we have to watch out for that white honda fit. if you see it coming... hurry and feed your meter.
I love that I live in Cabbagetown on a street where almost no one has off street parking. They are giving tickets out for parking the wrong way and parking too close to the yellow. When I get home at 2 am I am not parking 2 blocks away, so I'll park in the yellow if I have to. It's not hurting anyone.
As Paul Luna's comment about the 2-hour parking limit near his restaurant indicates, limiting parking to two hours in so-called business zones discourages restaurateurs from opening restaurants in those areas of towns that would benefit most. We don't necessarily need more restaurants in parts of the city that are so well established as restaurant zones that even City of Atlanta wonks recognize them as such. The city needs to attract restaurants to the parts the of city that people think of as business districts and mixed-use districts.
This Park Atlanta situation is getting out of control. The city needs to step in and do something.
Everybody that gets a parking ticket needs to fight it regardless of if you where illegally parked or not (especially if you where in a neighborhood). I was in court today for a parking ticket, and every parking ticket was thrown out because the issuing officer wasn't present. It cost them more to show up for the ticket than they get from the ticket so they won't show up. Think about it they have to pay their employees to be in court. If people make it not economically viable to issue tickets in neighborhoods they will eventually stop, or the city will stop it because it will back the traffic courts up.
It is outrageous!! this is nothing more than city "highway robbery". They can't get enough revenue from our taxes (because of the economy), so they found a back door way to rip us off. $2 per hour when you go out to a restaurant is outrageous not only for the patrons but for the employees as well. The instructions on the meters are unintelligible. If you pay $2 for an hour, you have to wait for it to expire to "add time". At least I think that is the way it works....never did figure it out. A parking "enforcer" was right beside me when I tried to figure it out and he told me "I have no idea how it works". (he sure knew how to issue a ticket though!) I wound up paying $5.50 for 2hours. You need a degree in computer science to figure out these darned meters. I say BOYCOTT THESE METERS and use valet services, if available, until they make a fair system with clear instruction, Fair zoning, and FAIR PARKING FEES and understandable instructions on each meter. I am going to dispute the charges on my credit card and I suggest others do the same.Businesses are already suffering and this is doing nothing but punishing their customers and the business itself. Park Atlanta enforcers are like the "parking gestapo".
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