Cultivate Connectivity

4.1 MANAGE W’S PARKING SYSTEM IN A COMPREHENSIVE MANNER

4.1a) Install parking meters

Background: Parking is the first and last experience visitors have of downtown. It is critical to get it right. The popularity of on-street parking stems from its allure of being both free and potentially closer to a given destination. However, the demand for these spaces in certain areas far exceeds the actual supply. Numerous studies recommended parking meters to better manage the fixed supply of on-street spaces downtown, and additional proposals have been submitted over the last ten years by a variety of vendors for their installation and operation. To date, however, parking meters have not been implemented.

There are approximately 5,800 parking spaces in the downtown study area, bounded by Walnut Street to the north, Pine Street to the south, Fifth Street to the east, and New Street to the west. Approximately 20% of the overall parking supply, or approximately 1,260 spaces, is onstreet. The majority of these spaces have a two-hour time limit.

Key idea: parking meter installation

Action: Parking meter installation Install parking meters in downtown Macon. The initial installation must be immediately successful; the location of where to install parking meters will determine the success of the parking management program. If the coverage area is too small, it will push the existing problem to adjacent blocks. If the coverage area is too large, too many metered spaces will be unused. This will not only have serious financial impacts, but also create entire blocks of unused parking, which in turn has a negative impact on the quality of life in downtown Macon.

The recommended coverage area consists of:

• Mulberry Street between west of Second Street and Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard

• Cherry Street between Cotton Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard

• Cotton Street between Cherry Street and Mulberry Street

• Second Street between Cherry Street Lane and Walnut Street Lane

• Third Street between Cherry Street Lane and Walnut Street Lane

This equates to approximately 462 metered parking spaces and a total of 40 multi-space parking meters.

The type of parking meter should be a multi-space parking kiosk that accepts cash and coins, credit cards, and cell phone payments for initial or additional time, enabling customers to shop and dine longer. The multi- space meters take up less space in the streetscape than singlespace meters, are easy to use, and result in lower maintenance costs. Multi-space meters can be configured for pay and display (patron pays for parking and then puts a receipt on their dashboard), pay by space (patrons pay for at the meter for the specific space they are parked in), or pay by license plate (patrons pay at the meter and input their license plate).

Set up the multi-space meters and the parking spaces initially for pay by space. Pay by space is the easiest for patrons to use, as it does not necessitate returning to one’s car in order to display the receipt on the dashboard, but it is also the least efficient system in terms of its capacity for parking spaces. Transition meters eventually to pay and display in order to increase the number of parking spaces on the street.

The parking meters should operate from 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM on all streets and from 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM on Cherry Street to reflect nighttime business hours. Existing restrictions on parking duration should be eliminated, thus allowing for parking based on needs.

The Urban Development Authority should be responsible for the implementation and management of the parking meters. The UDA is best suited to ensure that the financial and social objectives of the parking meters are balanced and support the success of downtown. The first step will be to issue a Request for Information (RFI) from potential vendors to refine potential revenues and costs for different systems. After the RFI is complete, a Request for Proposal (RFP) should be issued for vendors.

A robust communications program will be necessary to ensure parking best serves the needs of downtown. This will include initial outreach to accompany the installation of parking meters in addition to improved distribution of information on parking for visitors, employers, and patrons.

On-street signage will be necessary to increase awareness of the need to pay for parking. The design of the signs should meet the standards within the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD), and the colors should be part of any branding effort in the Urban Core. Three signs will be necessary for each meter.

4.1b) Encourage turnover where demand is highest

Background: Parking turnover refers to how many times an on-street parking space is used in a day by different vehicles. Ideally, a parking space should turn over 5 to 8 times per day in a vibrant downtown.

Macon promotes parking turnover by regulating duration in most cases to two hours. Observations of turnover activity found that 44% of vehicles are parked in excess of the two-hour restrictions and furthermore that parking turnover averaged only 2 times a day. These violations reduce the productivity that can be achieved from the limited supply of on-street spaces. Moreover, low turnover contributes to the high occupancy rates of parking spaces and congestion, thus making it difficult for visitors and patrons to find parking.

Key idea: meter pricing

Action: Meter pricing Set the initial hourly price of parking meters to $1.00 per hour, with no limit on the number of hours to start. This cost structure is similar to other downtowns in Georgia and should be revisited after six months to one year. The price can be increased if it does not rectify the existing issues with turnover and demand at this level. After six months, begin collecting data to determine if any adjustments in the price of parking should be made, including reducing the cost of parking during low demand days and increasing the cost of parking during high demand days.