Providence Parking Meter Wars

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Parking Cale Meters Revenues - 900% Increase

  State Representative John Lombardi and a host of residents and business owners in the Broadway and Federal Hill area are up in arms about Mayor Jorge Elorza’s plan to install parking meters along both Broadway and Atwells Avenues. These parking meters would replace posted parking - in many cases, the existing parking is signs dictating two hour limits.

“Placing parking meters on Federal HIll is anti-business, anti-consumer and anti-residential. I will not support the installation of the meters and I urge everyone who lives or does business in the area to please let the City know their feelings,” said Lombardi, the former City Council President and Interim Acting Mayor in a Facebook post that he reaffirmed to GoLocalProv.
Elorza in his budget plan line-itemed increased parking revenue to the City of Providence by $1.6 million over the revenue estimated to be generated in 2015.
The expansion of meters has hit numerous neighborhoods including the Thayer Street area and downtown Providence earlier this year.
Parking meter revenue for the CALE meters -- i.e. "pay and display" receipts from kiosks - just a few years ago was a tiny portion of the budget. In 2013, the city of Providence took in $188,848.  For the 2016 fiscal year, the Elorza administration has budgeted a $1,775,000, for a 900% increase in just four years.
“These small businesses (in the West End) need to draw customers from other shopping venues that have free parking. If the city decides to make their customers pay for the privilege of shopping on the West Side, some of those potential customers will choose other options. Since the profit margins for many of these businesses are thin, any threats to these businesses will result in closures,” said Ric Santurri, Providence Real Estate Developer.
Overall, the City of Providence has increased the budgeted amount of parking fees (which includes overnight parking permits and all forms of meters) from $2,056,439 to a 2016 budgeted number of $4,275,000.
These line items do not include the revenue the city realizes from parking tickets which is budgeted at $7 million.
"I do understand that there are studies out there that claim that parking meters actually help out neighboring businesses in the long run, since there is more parking space turnovers. Maybe the Mayor can hand one of these studies to a bankrupt business owner after these paid parking meters are the tipping point on whether that proprietor's business will stay open or fold," said Santurri.
Source GOLOCALPROV.COM   Kate Nagle