New parking meters installed downtown

Something new lines the streets of Bloomington: parking meters.

The idea of implementing meters started in 2007, when the city commissioned a parking consultation of the downtown area, said Susie Johnson, director of Bloomington public works.

Recommendations were made on how to manage the downtown parking resources, such as changing the management of parking garages and installing meters.

Bloomington was not ready for meters in 2007, Johnson said. She added that street parking spaces are not growing, but are constricting.

One factor putting pressure on the on-street parking spaces is the growth in downtown Bloomington’s residential sector, Johnson said. With more people living in the downtown area, more cars are parked long-term on the streets.

 “With the influx of hundreds of new downtown residents and hundreds more employees, we want to ensure that there is sufficient turnover in on-street parking for customers of downtown businesses,” Mayor Mark Kruzan said in a parking meter FAQ on the Bloomington website.

A 2007 study was performed by Bloomington City Government, Walker Parking Consultants, the Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Bloomington, INC, assessing the availability of downtown parking. Since the study was performed, 509  bedrooms, 6,080 square feet of office space and 44,797 square feet of retail space has been built.
Bicycle corrals have also replaced several parking spots throughout downtown, further limiting street parking, Johnson said.

Adding meters aims to encourage people to use parking garages, consider walking or bicycling or using public transportation, Johnson said.

“It will incentivize folks to take any long-term parking needs to the garages to free up street spots for people to do their business downtown,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the meters will make it easier and cheaper for people who work downtown to park in a garage all day than to have to move their car to a different street spot every few hours.

Money collected from the meters will go into a fund that will be used to provide resources to the downtown area, such as improving sidewalks, keeping the downtown clean and paying for parking garages and parking infrastructures, Johnson said.

The meters will be enforced Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Drivers can pay with credit cards, debit cards or coins.

Johnson acknowledges that nobody wants to pay to park.

“Anytime there is change, it upsets folks,” she said. “But I think in the long run this is the best decision we can make for our downtown to professionally and effectively manage a finite resource.”