Several months ago, I went to a retirement party for a former co-worker at restaurant/bar on West Ninth Street. A friend who was also attending offered to drive. When we parked in a lot near the venue, I paid for the parking. That is, I assumed that I paid for the parking. After struggling with the complicated process of scanning the QR code, entering my credit card number, my friend’s license plate number and parking spot number into my phone we left assuming we were legally parked.
Several weeks later, my friend got a notice from the parking lot company saying that the parking fee was not paid and that the penalty was $85! Since it was not my car and I didn’t want to cause my friend problems, I paid the fee. Had it been my vehicle, I would have attempted to fight it.
A few weeks later I was invited to another affair in the same area. I declined the invitation. The bad taste of the $85 parking space was still in my mouth.
More recently I had to go to a lawyer’s office located downtown. I have a vivid memory of standing out in the cold trying to input my parking spot number, credit card number and license plate number into my phone as the snow clouded my vision and I tried to keep warm. At least that time the technology worked. Some people have told me that they were charged convenience fees for such charges.
Remember the good old days when you kept quarters in your car to feed parking meters?
Fortunately, I have a cell phone and credit cards. What happens to someone with no cell phone or no credit card? Or what happens when you inadvertently leave your cell phone at home or your battery is dead? I admit that I am not the most tech savvy person. The stress of parking technology has caused me to take the Rapid when I can or even skip some events. It’s why a lot of people resort to Uber.
A friend related a horror story of trying to get out of the garage adjacent to the county administration building when he had left his cell phone at home. With the help of people who worked in the county building, he was finally able to locate an attendant to pay and get out of the lot. Of course, the meter was running on his parking while he was attempting to pay. What he had planned as a quick one-hour errand, turned into two hours. And I’m not sure what would happen if there was no attendant on duty.
The Plain Dealer reported on Sunday that Cleveland City Council is trying to reverse parts of Mayor Justin Bibb’s street parking cost increases. Under the proposed council plan, parking would be cheaper for those lucky enough to find a parking space on the street. My question is why city council ceded their power to control parking fees on city streets in the first place.
After the increase in rates, City Council was flooded with complaints. As a result, Councilman Kevin Bishop has sponsored the legislation attempting to respond to complaints and have council take back control of parking meter costs. That sounds like a good idea to me.
Under the mayor’s plan, costs rose from $1 to $1.50 for the first hour with escalating rates. So if you stay for four hours, the total for parking on the street would be $10.
Bishop’s legislation would reduce cost and most importantly, require that a cash payment option be available within 600 feet of any metered parking space. Parking would be free on Sundays (except for special events) and before 4pm. Enforcement would also end at 8pm Monday through Thursday. These changes make a lot of sense. The requirement of having the ability to pay in cash is a key part of the legislation in my opinion. It’s hard to believe, but there are people without cell phones and credit cards. And there are occasions when, like my friend, you can be without your cell phone. When my credit card was hacked, I was without a card for several days until the new one arrived. Fortunately, I had additional cards but that is not the case for everyone.
All Clevelanders want a vibrant downtown where people can patronize its many fine restaurants, conduct business, visit downtown residents and enjoy the outdoor activities that the city has planned around Public Square for the summer months. But with increased parking fees, not to mention increased gasoline prices, and the sometimes-complicated technology, there is no incentive to come downtown.
City council would be wise to take a serious look at parking rates. The mayor and his staff may have good intentions in raising parking rates, asserting the increased revenue will be beneficial to city services, but the question is whether the increase is worth the return. If the financial return results in a decrease in the number of downtown visitors, it seems that the city is throwing the baby out with bathwater. Or if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
C. Ellen Connally is a retired judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court. From 2010 to 2014 she served as the President of the Cuyahoga County Council. An avid reader and student of American history, she is a former member of the Board of the Ohio History Connection, and past president of the Cleveland Civil War Round Table, and is currently vice president of the Cuyahoga County Soldiers and Sailors Monument Commission. She holds degrees from BGSU, CSU and is all but dissertation for a PhD from the University of Akron.