Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Manager’s Office

TO:	David L. Corliss, City Manager
FROM:	Jonathan Douglass, Assistant to the City Manager/City Clerk
CC:	Ron Olin, Chief of Police Toni Wheeler, Director of Legal Services
DATE:	April 12, 2010
RE:	Fifteen Minute Parking Meters

History

The city received the attached request for the addition of fifteen minute parking meters downtown. On 03/09/10 the City Commission considered the request and directed staff to discuss the issue with stakeholders and the city traffic engineer, and bring back ordinances for the City Commission to consider. This memo is follow up to those directions.

Options for location of fifteen minute meters

Staff has identified four options for placement of the fifteen minute meters on or near Massachusetts. Each is illustrated in sequence in the attached maps for comparison purposes. They are all illustrated on the 1000 block of Massachusetts. Each block has some unique characteristics that may require adjustments to the locations. For example, the 600 block has no midblock pedestrian crossing, there is a pullout for valet parking next to the Eldridge Hotel at 7^th and Massachusetts, there is bus and taxi parking at 9^th and Massachusetts, etc. These variations would mostly effect placement of meters on the numbered side streets (Option 4 below).

• Option 1: Midblock on Massachusetts Street. This option is favored by the city traffic engineer. Midblock locations would generally be located immediately past the midblock pedestrian crossings. Disabled parking is generally located just before the midblock crossings, so drivers may be accustomed to special parking restrictions near midblock. This location has the advantages of being predictable to drivers and being potentially the least disruptive to traffic because it is furthest from the corners. This location has the disadvantage of being the hardest for parking control officers to check frequently. Locations near the corners can potentially be checked as the officers travel down Massachusetts and also as they travel the side streets.
• Option 2: Mid block and end of block on Massachusetts. One fifteen minute meter would be placed at midblock and another near the end of each side of each block. Placing them near the “exit” end of the block rather than the entrance would diminish the potential conflict of drivers coming around the corner near spaces where drivers are going to be backing out more often than is typical. This is the option most similar to what Downtown Lawrence, Inc. has suggested, which is one at midblock and one at the north end of each side of each block. That exact option has not been presented because it is less predictable for drivers (drivers traveling south would find a fifteen minute space at the beginning of the block then at midblock, while drivers traveling north would find a fifteen minute space at midblock then at the end of the block).
• Option 3: End of block on Massachusetts - “4 corners”. This places two fifteen minute meters at opposite ends of each side of each block. This spreads the locations of the meters on each block and should be predictable for drivers.  
• Option 4: Numbered side streets near Massachusetts. Placing the fifteen minute meters on the numbered streets as close to Massachusetts as possible has a few advantages. This location could potentially be checked more often by parking control officers. Drivers seem to be less often confused regarding which meter pertains to which parking spot on the side streets that have parallel parking rather than saw tooth parking on Massachusetts. Disadvantages to this placement are that there are a number of locations where fifteen minute parking could not easily be added on the numbered streets (such as intersections of Massachusetts with 7^th and 9^th Streets), and these spaces are the furthest from the Massachusetts Street storefronts.   

In addition, it may be desirable to add fifteen minute parking spaces in the two hour free parking lots adjacent to the alleys behind Massachusetts storefronts. The attached maps illustrate proposed locations of two fifteen minute spaces in each of those lots. Fifteen minute spaces in some of those lots may be less effective than in others because those blocks do not have breezeways allowing pedestrians through to Massachusetts, but fifteen minute spaces may still be useful for those businesses that have customer access via the alley. If fifteen minute spaces are desired in these lots, then it will probably be necessary to install meters, because chalking tires for fifteen minute parking will not be very practical for enforcement.

Signage

Fifteen minute meter heads would be painted yellow to clearly distinguish them from other meters. The meters will have new rate plates installed, but an additional sticker on the outside of the meter may also be helpful. It may be advisable to paint a “15 minute” pavement marking at the rear of each stall also, in order to cut down on the number of people that pull in and then immediately leave because they did not intend to park in a fifteen minute space. The pavement marking would also be helpful where the meters are not directly in front of the space into which the driver pulls (see attached photos for an illustration of the meter placement).

Costs

It will costs around $170 per meter to have them painted yellow, replace the mechanism and replace the rate plates. It will cost approximately $300 each to install poles where there are currently no meters, if fifteen minute meters are added to the two hour lots. The city has a number of spare meters heads that could be used, but the mechanisms would have to be replaced. There will also be additional costs if pavement markings are installed. If four meters are installed on each block of Massachusetts from 6^th Street to 11^th Street, the cost would be at least $3,400 just to paint the meters and change the mechanisms. If fifteen minute meters are added to the two hour lots, the cost would be another $2,040 for the meters, plus approximately $3,600 to install poles.

Draft ordinance

Staff has drafted Ordinance No. 8518, which would establish fifteen minute parking downtown. Location of the metered parking is not specified by ordinance, but staff will locate the meters per City Commission direction. The ordinance establishes the rate of the fifteen minute meters at $0.25 per fifteen minutes, designates yellow as the color of fifteen minute meter heads, and does not change the $3.00 overtime fine that is already established for meters and timed lots downtown.

ACTION:      Direct staff regarding establishment and location of fifteen minute parking downtown, and adopt on first reading, Ordinance No. 8518, establishing fifteen minute parking spaces downtown, if appropriate.