When the City Council resumes last night’s discussion of parking in Downtown on Monday, Sept. 27, policy is likely to be changed at two or all three parking garages, metered parking hours may be increased and there appears to be sentiment for additional meters.
Even though the Downtown Business Assn. objected to altering the present policy of two free hours of parking at the Cardiff, Ince and Watseka garages, most Councilmen seemed amenable to change.
In his latest report, the city’s hired consultant recommended that free parking be killed, but a compromise is likelier, say one hour, seven days a week at any hour.
For reasons that are logical but problem-causing, there is an imbalance of parking in the three garages. As member Andy Weissman said, “People naturally are choosing the garage that is most convenient to their destination. The trouble is, hundreds of spaces at the Ince are going empty.”
A solution both popular and specific was not reached last night, but there was momentum for making parking in Cardiff and Watseka less appealing.
Change, but not necessarily hope, is on the way.
“We need to provide whatever the incentive or disincentive is needed to get people out of Watseka and Cardiff, and over to Ince,” Mr. Weissman said.
Currently, rates are the same in all garages.
The matter of assuring effectiveness of the looming changes requires stiff enforcement, the Council agreed, and then this sensitive subject was left in abeyance.
Finally, the metered parking day no longer may stop at 6 o’clock. In the name of boosting revenue, the city may add three or four or five hours.
