Permit ordinance having positive effect on residential parking problem
The busy parking lot outside of Kaya, Thursday Jan. 8 2015, is one of the many examples of how more parking meters will be added to downtown parking.
Student commuters are no longer a problem for Mount Pleasant parking services as they try to decongest residential streets, according to city and Central Michigan University officials.
In August 2014, city commissioners passed a resolution that would make residential neighborhoods permit-only parking zone. The goal was to stop student commuters and non-residents from taking up spaces designated for homeowners.
So far, students have stayed clear of the permit-parking zone, said Paul Rocheleau, a Mount Pleasant code enforcement officer. The new ordinance is working with only a few exceptions, he said.
“There’s always a learning curve for something that’s new like this,” Rocheleau said. “Students will park there and say they didn’t see the signs, but the amount of tickets we’ve issued have gone down dramatically.”
Rocheleau said the drop off in ticketing might continue as more returning and new students become aware of the enforcement zones. Mount Pleasant launched an aggressive media campaign to make sure students knew about the ordinance. He and the city are anticipating ticketing to increase once classes start.
The city monitors parking by having residents register their vehicles so they can park on the street. Many of the spots are close to campus buildings – attractive spaces for CMU students looking for a convenient place to park. This buildup in students parking downtown prevented residents from parking outside their own homes.
Residential areas most affected by student commuters are located immediately north and to the west of CMU’s campus. Students trying to sneak a spot outside residences can get tickets with up to $30 fines. If a student leaves his or her car in that spot for more than a few days, it can get towed.
With students scrambling to find new places to park, City Manager Nancy Ridley said residents are happy they have their spots back. The enforcement of permit parking will continue until May, at which point the city will evaluate whether the ordinance is working.
As the evaluation period continues, Ridley said two questions remain unanswered.
“If we see no other problems with students parking in residential neighborhoods, does it matter where they’re going?” she said. “Does it matter to us if we know where they’ve gone?”
CMU officials don’t seem to have an answer either. They haven’t seen an increase in students purchasing commuter permits.
“When the city approached us last year, they told us that we needed to prepare if (students) buy more permits,” said Kim Speet, manager of Parking Services. “Permit (purchases) haven’t increased from last year.”
Even without concrete data, Speet said parking enforcement officers have noticed lots getting more full near West Campus Apartments. She said a majority of students park in metered spots as they become available throughout the day.
Parking Services regulates all metered parking in campus lots. CMU also regulates meters directly north of campus through an agreement with the city passed last year.
