Columbia to reduce downtown meter time limit option
Erika McGuire
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The City of Columbia is simplifying the time limits on on-street parking meters downtown by making operational changes.
Starting the week after July 4, the city will reduce the number of time-limit options from six to four. The goal is to simplify payment, reduce confusion and increase parking turnover.
Currently, drivers choose from six time limits:
24 minutes
1 hour
2 hours
4 hours
5 hours
10 hours
Under the new plan, according to a council memo, drivers will choose from:
15-minute curbside pickup
1 hour
3 hours
10 hours
“Two hours often isn’t enough for someone to comfortably dine, shop, or attend a meeting,” Columbia Public Works spokesman John Ogan wrote in an email Thursday. “Switching to 3-hour meters in core areas gives visitors a better experience while still promoting turnover,”
There are 1,795 on-street metered spaces in downtown Columbia, according to the city, and 1,666 will be affected by the changes.
Proposed parking limitsDownload
The 1-hour meters will be near government buildings, the police station and the post office. Three-hour meters will be concentrated in the heart of downtown, including areas south of Elm Street. Long-term 10-hour meters will be found west of Fifth Street, east of Tenth Street and north of Ash Street.
Ethan Jones, owner of Mindnright Wellness on Broadway, said changing the hours from two to three in the heart of downtown won’t make a difference,
“People take the ticket anyway because there is nowhere else to even park at and so I don’t [think] expanding it an extra hour even matters,” Jones said.
Jones claims many drivers don’t care enough to look at the time-limits and the color-coordinated meters.
“I don’t think people pay attention to any of that they are just trying to find a spot to park at, but I think the 15-minute parking [spaces] are nice for my customers. But outside of that I don’t think people pay attention to the color coordinated of times, three hours might help people stay a little longer,” Jones said.
Student Finn Boland sees the change as adding flexibility for quick visits downtown.
“It doesn’t restrict anyone because it goes above the minimum expectations unless you are trying to do the five hour one in which case you would have to default to the 10,” Boland said.
Lauryn Carolton has lived in Columbia for about five years and said parking downtown has always been an issue. But the extra hour gives her piece of mind.
“I kind of put a couple quarters in and hoped by car was still there i think that extra hour will be beneficial if you go see a movie and get something to eat that’s about three hours so it makes a lot more sense,” she said.
The changes do not affect meter rates or enforcement hours. Parking costs per hour won’t change, and meters will still be enforced Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. On Saturdays, enforcement runs from 8 a.m.-noon. Sundays are free.
A Walker Consultants analysis showed that Columbia has more time limit variations than most comparable cities, with three or four time limit systems being standard.
Ogan said equipment delivery could affect the schedule of the changes.