Columbus, Ohio USA
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Fickle Meter Feeders around Goodale Park
Creative problem-solving continues
By Margaret Marten
November/December 2016 Issue

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Parking occupancy around Goodale Park is low during the day, even after the city adjusted the daytime limit from 3 to 6 hours almost a year ago in an effort to attract more Short North visitors. Low occupancy at those meters means less money for the city as well as wasted space that could be utilized to help alleviate parking shortage in the area. The total possible annual revenue from all 155 meters on Goodale Street and the west side of Park Street is almost half a million dollars. During the first six months of this year, the occupancy was under 25 percent on Goodale and 59 percent on the west side of Park.

Amanda Ford, the parking services coordinator for the Department of Public Service, made the recommendation to the city’s Parking Advisory Group that led to the implementation of double meter time during the day beginning in December 2015. In the past, before the 3-hour limit, a longer 12-hour meter duration had tied up the spaces all day with cars from downtown workers, so the city enforced the 6-hour limit last year as a precaution in order to free up space for area visitors coming through for a few hours at a time.

Problem Solving
The problem-solving continues. According to Ford, because there was no significant change in the occupancy rates after adjusting the meter limit from 3 hours to 6 hours, it makes sense to try increasing the time to 12 hours again. Nationwide and downtown employees had fewer options years ago when they were monopolizing the metered 12-hour spaces, so that may no longer be an issue. Hopefully, the change will generate more revenue and parkers – ideally Short North visitors and workers. However, keeping the evening meters at a 3-hour limit after 6 p.m., would be advisable, according to Ford, to encourage turnover in the evening when it’s needed most. She said the city has taken steps to move forward with the 12-hour meter plan, but will run it by some “key folks in the Short North” in order to keep them in the loop and allow them to voice their concerns, if any.

© 2016 Short North Gazette, Columbus, Ohio. All rights reserved.

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