By Kate Stockrahm
It’s been a little over a month since paid parking returned to downtown Flint, following more than a year of construction and budget hurdles that kept the city’s main thoroughfare free for drivers.
“So far, so good,” said Brandy Curtis, operations manager for Flint’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA), the enforcement entity behind the meters. “There’s always some trials and tribulations, but all the kinks have been worked out, and I think everything’s working really smooth.”
Curtis explained that some of those “kinks” stem from the fact that the new meters are not the same as those that were removed as part of Saginaw Street’s reconstruction project.
The new meters are hardwired instead of solar-powered, and therefore less susceptible to malfunctioning due to weather events. They are also “substantially larger” than the prior meters, making them easier to find.
“The only confusion, I think, has been space versus the license plates,” Curtis said, referring to the new system’s requirement that users input their license plate number rather than a physical parking space number like the prior system required.
Though the new system seems to be functioning well thus far, not everyone is thrilled for the return of paid parking on Saginaw Street.
“I didn’t even know they was coming back,” Flint resident Troy “Teeky” Turner said of the meters. Turner explained that he sometimes has to be downtown for court business, and he’d become accustomed to free parking nearby while the meters were gone.
“I don’t like when I got to come down here, and I got to pay,” he said, noting that he’ll likely go back to parking at the edge of downtown, over by the jail, and walk the extra two blocks to avoid fees and a possible ticket.
A downtown employee also pointed out that some of the meters don’t accept cash – just cards or payment through a mobile app – which she felt could present a problem for people who are unbanked, without a smartphone, or who just prefer to pay in cash.
“Every other meter takes cash, but all meters take debit, credit or the mobile app,” Curtis explained in response to that concern. “We have had issues in the past with coin slots and people putting stuff in them so they can’t be used.”
While some residents and workers are unenthused about a return to metered parking on Saginaw Street, it does provide benefits to downtown visitors.
Parking fees ($1 an hour for up to four hours) and tickets (either $29.50 for a standard unpaid meter or $49.50 for parking in illegal spots along red or yellow curbs) go toward the services the DDA provides.
“We do snow removal downtown, salting of sidewalks. We empty all the trash cans…We do beautification. We do all the maintaining of the trees downtown, keeping things in order and keeping sidewalks clean,” Curtis explained.
She added that without parking income for the last year, the DDA had been unable to complete some of its usual work, like supporting additional trash collection after downtown events, purchasing holiday displays, and regular equipment maintenance.
Curtis said she understands that many folks aren’t fans of paying for downtown parking again, but she hopes that residents and businesses alike will experience its benefits beyond the DDA’s services.
“Meters are necessary for the move of the flow of traffic downtown,” she said. “A lot of businesses will find that employees will park in front of their business for eight hours. That could have been 10 or 15 people patronizing your business.”
When reached for comment, Leni Kei, owner of an eponymous photography studio facing Saginaw Street, said,“I honestly haven’t seen much of a change in terms of client flow since the meters came back.”
Kei recalled that the old meter system had regularly malfunctioned and resulted in her clients struggling to find parking, but she won’t pass judgement on the new system just yet.
“I will say, it was kind of nice as a business owner to not have to worry about the meters this past year, but I guess we will adjust!” she offered with a laugh.
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