Getting home from work around 5:45pm every car on Sycamore between 12th and 14th and nearly every car on Main north of 13th had a ticket. I spotted two enforcement officers on bikes ticketing folks.

 

There is certainly going to be a tough learning curve for some folks.

I don't think bike parking would be a huge issue if individual meters were replaced by a centralized station. In Portland, most if not all of the metered parking is controlled by similar stations. Typically, there are a few u-shaped pipe bike racks near each, and sometimes you see parking spaces converted into bike corrals as well with multiple of the u-shaped design.

Seen on both sides of Race and Walnut streets between 14th and 15 streets:

What exactly is the point of these? I walked out my front door and was confused as to where they came from and why. What do they do that the meters that are already there don't?

Seen on both sides of Race and Walnut streets between 14th and 15 streets:

 

I hope those become the standard and they get rid of the spot-specific meters. In many blocks, the meters are so far apart that you can fit 3 cars in spots where there are only 2 meters. Here are three cars, with room to spare parked along 3rd street where only two cars are supposed to be able to fit:

Wait, so are they replacing the meters they just installed with these parking boxes?

 

I like the idea of boxes a hell of a lot more, but it seems strange to spend money on a ton of new infrastructure (the new meters) just to get rid of them a mere few months later.

 

Edit: That is unless they then just move them to other neighborhoods in need of new meters. If that's the plan then I'm all for it.

Edit: That is unless they then just move them to other neighborhoods in need of new meters. If that's the plan then I'm all for it.

 

That is the plan.

Seen on both sides of Race and Walnut streets between 14th and 15 streets:

 

I hope those become the standard and they get rid of the spot-specific meters. In many blocks, the meters are so far apart that you can fit 3 cars in spots where there are only 2 meters. Here are three cars, with room to spare parked along 3rd street where only two cars are supposed to be able to fit:

 

I hope they paint lines to indicate where the spaces are then.  I live on a street without meters and routinely have exactly the opposite problem: 2 cars parked in such a way that they take up 3 spaces.  This occasionally happens for the length of the entire block, wasting 5 or 6 spaces.

Seen on both sides of Race and Walnut streets between 14th and 15 streets:

 

I hope those become the standard and they get rid of the spot-specific meters. In many blocks, the meters are so far apart that you can fit 3 cars in spots where there are only 2 meters. Here are three cars, with room to spare parked along 3rd street where only two cars are supposed to be able to fit:

 

I hope they paint lines to indicate where the spaces are then.  I live on a street without meters and routinely have exactly the opposite problem: 2 cars parked in such a way that they take up 3 spaces.  This occasionally happens for the length of the entire block, wasting 5 or 6 spaces.

^Agreed. I prefer paint on the pavement over poles in the sidewalk.

Seen on both sides of Race and Walnut streets between 14th and 15 streets:

 

I hope those become the standard and they get rid of the spot-specific meters. In many blocks, the meters are so far apart that you can fit 3 cars in spots where there are only 2 meters. Here are three cars, with room to spare parked along 3rd street where only two cars are supposed to be able to fit:

 

I have a small car and park like this all the time. It's a good trick for free parking. I'm sure it could result in a ticket, but it hasn't so far. It seems many spots are laid out for 24 foot long SUVS and people who have never parallel parked before. If you're not touching bumpers and pushing cars back for that extra inch or two, you're not parking tightly enough. Having one box per block allows people to park as tightly as possible, as they do in residential areas.

Yeah I'm much more for the "let them park how they see fit" method. Look at Clifton Heights. With only a handful of random exceptions at any point in time the cars are parked way more tightly on the side streets than they are on Calhoun and McMillan. And it's because of the meter spacing. Standardized parking spaces don't have the ability to adapt for when people like me, driving my Fiat, only take up half the space. I could fit my car in between most cars parked at standard spaces. And that's a waste. Sometimes the "park how you want" method goes astray and you get the "two cars in three spaces" situation, but this is more than made up for by all the people who parked normal elsewhere.

In front of our home on Race Street they just added back a missing pole for a parking meter, but just fifty feet south one of the parking kiosks was also just installed.  I'm really confused about how they are going to implement the kiosks if they're actively adding/maintaining the existing pole infrastructure.

Just got back from work. Meters gone on the east side of Race Street. It looks so much cleaner. It's about time we did this. Removed future maintenance costs and makes the sidewalks so much nicer to look at.

 

Edit: No they aren't. I don't know what I was looking at (or not looking at for that matter).

Just got back from work. Meters gone on the east side of Race Street. It looks so much cleaner. It's about time we did this. Removed future maintenance costs and makes the sidewalks so much nicer to look at.

 

So wait, from here on out you'll use the kiosks there? I guess I'm just out of the loop on how those kiosks work. Haven't seen as much press about the sudden switch.

I was wrong, the meters are still up by Zula. My mind played tricks on me when I was trying to rush into my door because I'm a wuss and it's cold.

 

But yes, you'll use the parking kiosk and I believe they give you a ticket to put in your windshield and that's that.

OCtoCincy[/member] - Do you know if the new meters are capable of real dynamic pricing? This plan is a step in the right direction but does not quality as "dynamic pricing" at all. Meters need to go up and down throughout the day, either at certain times or (better yet) as demand increases/decreases.

That is awesome.  Towne was also looking at it, but I'm happy it was picked up by Grandin.  Peg Wyant is a very forward thinking person when it comes to urban living.  She has fully embraced OTR.  One thing that will be interesting... That building has no parking, but is across Central from the City owned $40 a month parking "Town Center" Parking garage.

 

A $2 a day garage right next to $1 an hour meters.

 

PROGRESS. 

 

It's now a $2 a day garage next to $0.75 an hour meters with a four hour max. 

 

Last week on a weekday, I walked down Vine Street from Central Parkway to 5th at about 8pm. On both sides of the street there was only one car that was parked at a paid meter; there were about five cars parked at unpaid meters and the rest were empty.  This is a step forward but true dynamic pricing would be even better.

That is awesome.  Towne was also looking at it, but I'm happy it was picked up by Grandin.  Peg Wyant is a very forward thinking person when it comes to urban living.  She has fully embraced OTR.  One thing that will be interesting... That building has no parking, but is across Central from the City owned $40 a month parking "Town Center" Parking garage.

 

A $2 a day garage right next to $1 an hour meters.

 

PROGRESS. 

 

It's now a $2 a day garage next to $0.75 an hour meters with a four hour max. 

 

Last week on a weekday, I walked down Vine Street from Central Parkway to 5th at about 8pm. On both sides of the street there was only one car that was parked at a paid meter; there were about five cars parked at unpaid meters and the rest were empty.  This is a step forward but true dynamic pricing would be even better.

 

The section you mention is getting a price increase... Hopefully the next update (July or August) will include price changes throughout the day.

OCtoCincy[/member] - Do you know if the new meters are capable of real dynamic pricing? This plan is a step in the right direction but does not quality as "dynamic pricing" at all. Meters need to go up and down throughout the day, either at certain times or (better yet) as demand increases/decreases.

 

Yes.  They felt that since they were only running the analytics for two months (winter) they didn't have enough data to make good changes yet.  I am confident the next update in august will include some varied pricing by hour.  For example, the Courthouse area is packed from 9-3PM, but almost completely empty from 5-9PM.  Could be:

$2.25 9-3PM, $1.50 3-6PM, $1 6-9PM

 

Additionally, the City Hall quadrant could be $1.75 9-3PM, $1 3-9PM

Additionally, would be great to see dynamic pricing that lowered the downtown rate on Sunday to around $1.50.  There is often not nearly the traffic on a Sunday that there is on the remainder of the week.

Quick question about the dynamic pricing. I understand the idea, but I don't know if dropping the price some is going to fill up the meters when they are currently almost empty.

 

I think most of the people are avoiding the spots because they have to pay or because they have no reason to go there. Not because they have to pay a certain amount. Make it $0.25/hour and I don't know if you will see much of an increase in the Vine Street between Central Parkway and 6th ish area. The only people who are going to park there because of a price change are the people who are there all the time and will get used to the dynamic pricing. People who don't go downtown every day likely won't even realize the price changes by block or by time. I think dynamic pricing is good to squeeze more money out of the system, but I have a bit of a hard time believing that they will increase usage.

 

The one thing that is increasing usage is the credit card readers on the meters. I've already used the meters by inserting my credit card in instances where I would have found a free spot somewhere else because of the convenience.

It will certainly help if we have an app that shows where spaces are available and what their prices are. Some people would pull up the app and see "there are a ton of free spaces around City Hall and they're only 50¢/hour, I'll park there and walk to OTR." And the people that aren't willing to walk (or don't use the app) will just pay to park in a garage or drive around looking for a space like they do now.

How would that work without designated spaces though? It would know how many spaces are available on a block, but the boxes don't know how many cars can actually fit there at any given time. I guess it only has to be close to really work the way you're stating, but it would never work quite as well as individual meters.

 

Though this is in no way a negative towards the idea of the boxes. I love the idea of removing clutter from the sidewalk. Meters are ugly.

Above conversation moved form the OTR General Development thread. Yesterday's announcement:

Cincinnati adjusts parking meter rates based on demand

Chris Wetterich - Staff reporter and columnist - Cincinnati Business Courier

 

The city is changing parking meter rates in downtown and Over-the-Rhine, increasing some areas by 25 cents and decreasing others by the same rate to price the meters based on parking demand.

 

The changes, planned last year as a part of a parking plan approved by the City Council and Mayor John Cranley, will go into effect on Tuesday.

 

The city studied parking usage since new parking meters were installed at the beginning of this year to come up with the plan. The plan does not constitute true “dynamic pricing” where parking meter rates could change hourly.

 

Cont

The individual meters are better than the box that covers half a block because:

- you have to get a printed ticket and put it in your windshield. This takes slightly longer.

- sometimes there are several people trying to pay at the same time.

- sometimes the ticket doesn't print.  This happened to me yesterday, and my credit card still got charged. The printing device is just another thing that will malfunction.

- the meter maid must get out of their vehicle and look in every windshield instead of driving by and seeing which meter is flashing expired.

- individual smart meters can actually "see" if a car is parked in the spot, expired or not..

Also, since you need to physically put the ticket in your windshield, you can never add time remotely with a smart phone

^ Technology can solve these problems, so multi-space stations are, to me, obviously the better solution, for aesthetic, parking efficiency, and cost reasons.

 

Think about it - All you have to do is figure out some way to identify the car with the pay station, and you can do away with the little slips of paper and meter ticketing inefficiency, plus enable things like adding time remotely.

 

A quick google search for "multi-space parking pay station" shows that there's at least one company that's done all of this already (too bad, this would be a great business idea). Check out digitalpaytech.com for instance. They allow their systems to be set up for "pay by ticket" "pay by license plate" and "pay by space". Paying by ticket is what Cincinnati is currently doing, with all the problems noted. Paying by license plate is pretty self-explanatory -- you put in your plate number and the meter reading people use automatic plate reading software as they drive down the street. Paying by space would require the city to designate space numbers somehow -- I'd guess by striping and numbering on the pavement, or perhaps only on the curb. Both of these support adding time remotely.

 

So I think that individual meters are archaic and destined to go away at some point. Technology just provides better solutions nowadays. I don't know that Cincinnati's new pay stations support these features, but I'd sure hope so.

Once pay by phone starts you won't need to put the ticket in the window (but pay by phone adds a 25 cent charge).  The Parking Enforcement Officer will see if there's a receipt in the window, and if not, scan the license plate to see if it's paid online (also, can see if it has multiple past due tickets and should be towed).  If there was no receipt and no license plate paid via mobile app, then you would get a ticket.  If PEO's are in cars, yes it's a bit more work, but many of the ones in OTR are on bikes, etc or are walking. 

I've been in Ft. Lauderdale a lot recently and have dealt with several different ways of paying for street and lot/garage parking. I'm not sure why they have so many different systems around there, but it probably has something to do with different sections being managed by different parties (city, county, business association, etc.).

 

In most places with individually metered spaces, the meters only accept coins (no credit cards) but you can use the app to pay for your parking space. In the app, you put in the unique number on the parking meter and your license plate number. When you do so, the meter does not indicate that the space is paid. I'm guessing that when the enforcement officers see an "expired" meter, they must then check in the system to see if the driver paid using the app. This seems inefficient to me... as if they just threw an app on top of "dumb" parking meters. Hopefully, when someone uses an app to pay one of Cincinnati's smart meters, it will turn from flashing red to flashing green.

 

In some areas, the spaces are individually numbered and you must go to the machine and enter that number. You do not need to display the receipt. This could easily be connected to an app to allow people to pay and add more time.

 

In other areas, the spaces are not numbered so you must display the receipt on your dash. I don't see why the receipt couldn't have a unique number or QR code on it, which would allow you to open an app, enter the number or scan the QR code, and then (1.) get alerts when your time is about to expire, and (2.) add more time using the app.

^ I've mentioned this before, but I think a big reason these features are not implemented is because they're counter to what parking meters are for.  They're about allocating limited space by ensuring turnover.  In many cities (Cincinnati included) it's illegal to feed the meter.  When your time's up you're supposed to move your car.  That said, some of these app situations might actually help in that they can be programmed to disallow adding more time without getting a new space number, meter code, or printed receipt, but then the convenience aspect is lost so why bother? 

Perhaps allowing feeding the meter from online or an app could be enabled for any time not 8-4 weekdays. Allow nights and weekends with no limit on the amount of time you can buy.

When the app comes out (June) you can walk away from where ever you parked and just pay online. No need to put something on your dash, etc.  Also, for all of downtown and OTR at 5PM you can pay unlimited hours (aka to 9PM).

Is this parking app just for CBD/Downtown/OTR or is it for every parking meter in the city?

That is a good question.  I don't know. I think it would be for anywhere...

I have got to say I think the new boxes are confusing as hell. Last weekend, I parked in front of one but it was not on and I was paranoid of getting towed. This past weekend I was going to park along a street and couldnt tell what spots were associated with a box and what weren't. I ended up driving around til I found a regular metered spot. I would greatly appreciate having marked spaces with the boxes ala findlay market.

I have to agree.  The new boxes by my house are not working half the time.  Either they are out of paper, or the credit card slot is jammed, or it wont read the card.

The fact that there are both brand new credit card capable meters and new boxes on the same streets, with no signage directing which one requires payment is a huge screw-up by the city. With the appearance of these boxes, it seems that the city wasted thousands of dollars installing new meters that won't be needed. The best case scenario is that the credit card meters can be removed and relocated to other neighborhoods, but there are miles of brand new sidewalks laid down around parking meter poles that will look awful if poles are removed. Maybe they can be salvaged and converted to bollard bike racks, but that is yet another expense that could have been avoided had there been some forethought here. I can't help but think the canceling of the parking deal, and piecemeal application of the parts of it Cranley liked contributed to this waste of money.

Jskinner[/member] Please send that as an email to [email protected].  It can be 5 sentences, but it would be very helpful.  As of right now, Council has received ZERO (maybe 1) complaints about the pay stations, despite the fact that I've seen dozens of complaints on Next Door and Facebook.

 

Also, as a heads up- Paystations cost about $3000 each and can cover about 6-8 meters in space.  Individual credit card Meters cost about $900 each. Do the math, and you realize why they are moving to pay stations.

 

Also, this is the key.  If there are signs on the block that are green and say Pay to Park, you must pay.  If there are no signs on the entire block, then you do not need to pay, and the pay station is likely there for future use, but hasn't been turned on yet.

I sent an email and got a quick response from Yvette Simpson (in part) as follows:

 

"...Parking is aware of the problem and will fix the problem with the receipt not printing. They are trying to place the meters so that they are not more than 4 car spaces from where the vehicle is parked. When the PBC (pay-by-cell) is installed this will alleviate this requirement."

 

Great fast response by Yvette.  Kevin Flynn also responded, but was less specific.

I saw them putting up the green "Pay to Park" signs today in OTR.

Thanks for the info about the pay to park signs. I went to Tafts today and was like oh I get it now!

Downtown residents: Cancel Sunday parking meter enforcement, give us our own parking program, too

Chris Wetterich - Staff reporter and columnist - Cincinnati Business Courier

 

Downtown residents want changes to the city’s parking program, including a residential on-street program similar to the one that has been proposed for Over-the-Rhine.

 

In a March 30 letter to City Manager Harry Black, officers of the Downtown Residents Council ask him to do away with enforcing parking meters on Sundays and to establish resident parking zones on the east and west outskirts of downtown.

 

The city instituted Sunday meter hours earlier this year to increase parking revenue to bolster both its general revenue fund and to pay for operations of the Cincinnati Streetcar. The Sunday hours, which run from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., were established in concert with expanded weekday and Saturday hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for both downtown and Over-the-Rhine. It also installed new smart meters capable of taking credit card payments throughout OTR.

 

Cont

So, what we have is a giant freaking mess.  Parking rules and pay types that change from block to  block. 

 

Didn't we have a deal in place that would have streamlined the city parking income, and get a 30-story apartment tower built on fourth street?

 

SMH...

^I agree 100% with your assessment.  The parking/transit/development bureaucratic infrastructure in this City is incredibly piecemeal in a very bad way, particularly when the plan for development is pretty straightforward and hasn't really been deviated from since 2001, not even with this administration.

 

Even though this is a pretty ridiculous compromise (because it is so varied and complex) at least take solace in the fact that it was an ostensibly democratic solution.

Seelbach, Murray urge parking ticket reform

 

Cincinnati City Council members Chris Seelbach and Amy Murray have a message for anyone who can't pay their parking ticket within a week: "We're here to help."

 

Parking tickets currently cost $45 – and they double if they're not paid within seven days. The council members are proposing charging $55 after 14 days and $90 after 21 days.

 

A review of nearby big cities shows only Detroit charges as much as Cincinnati. In Cleveland and Columbus, parking tickets cost $25 and don't increase for at least two weeks.

 

Seelbach and Murray say data shows more people will actually pay their ticket if they have enough time to pay the original lower cost.

 

Cont

I agree with that change. Doubling in 7 days is way too soon. That's a money grab.

I wonder if this Seelbach/Murray joint proposal indicates that Murray might be willing to support the OTR parking proposal that Seelbach passed in committee, but needs one more vote to become veto proof:

 

Murray did not vote for it.

 

@ChrisSeelbach: Mayor says he will issue statement after Council meeting regarding the Residential Parking Permit program just passed by 5 city-wide Dems.

Local12 is reporting that Cranley has vetoed the parking plan.

@JohnCranley: My first veto: I am vetoing the inadequate OTR parking plan passed by City Council today in a 5-4 vote

 

 

@JohnCranley: Veto: We need a better parking plan than the poorly devised one OK'd by City Council today #veto #parking

 

Chris Wetterich on Twitter:

Mann says City Manager Harry Black was planning to charge $1,500 for an OTR space under the Cranley plan.