Editorial: Now is not the time to extend parking meter enforcement hours in downtown Ann Arbor

That proposal, as offered by 1st Ward Democrat Sandi Smith, would have downtown patrons feeding nickels, dimes and quarters (and, in the case of the newer meters, credit and debit cards) up through 10 p.m. to avoid getting a parking ticket. The current shutoff time for parking meter enforcement is 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The underlying issue here is, of course, money.

But here’s the rub. The money isn’t needed for parking operations or enforcement. It would go into the city’s general coffers.

The money from extending the parking meter hours of operation would make up for the $380,000 annually the city planned to get in additional revenues in 2010 by putting parking meters on streets in the near-downtown neighborhoods. Smith, whose ward includes many of those neighborhoods, didn’t like that plan and came up with the alternative proposal to extend the downtown meter hours.

To be fair, Smith noted that her proposal could actually free up short-term parking spaces for downtown patrons that is often taken up by employees of downtown businesses. She said employees now can arrive early, feed a few coins into the meters, and then park the rest of the night for free, once the clock ticks past 6 p.m.

And, we admit, there is a seeming incongruence to offering free on-street parking during the evening hours while the city is still charging people to use the downtown municipal parking garages. One could argue that it should be the opposite way around, leaving the on-street parking for short-term visitors who want to stop for a coffee or ice cream cone, while pushing longer-term visitors into the parking structures.

In the best of economic times, we might look at this proposal differently. But, as we all are so painfully aware, these are not good economic times.

Many downtown shops and restaurants are barely hanging on. Others aren’t even that fortunate, as we were reminded this past week with the announcement that the John Leidy Shop, a long-time East Liberty Street merchant, would close its doors in February. We understand the desire of the city, looking for ways to prop up its general fund revenues, to have a parking system that makes a profit. The city has been getting $2 million a year in payments into the general fund from the DDA for the past five years, and it is apparently looking to continue that, plus some.

But expanding metered parking hours into the evening to bring in $380,000 a year (and even the DDA is skeptical that much money would be generated) is a risky proposition that could backfire. It could ultimately cost the city more in lost tax revenue if it pushes even just a few more merchants to shut down because of lost business.

Oakland, Calif., tried a similar plan this past year and it blew up in that city’s face. Three months after extending the parking enforcement hours to 8 p.m., the Oakland City Council voted in October to roll back the hours to 6 p.m. following what was described as a citywide revolt.

SFGATE.com reported that the council backtracked “after shoppers, diners and residents complained the policy penalized them for enjoying Oakland’s burgeoning restaurant and nightlife scene,” Merchants complained that their business dropped by up to 30 percent because of the extended meter hours, according to the Web site.

Ann Arbor’s two jewels are the University of Michigan and its downtown, which as a regional destination for nightlife is the envy of many other Michigan cities.

Yet, there is a perception among many visitors that Ann Arbor is a parking unfriendly town. Finding an on-street parking spot is a game of musical chairs, there’s often a line-up to get into surface lots, and city’s parking decks are seen by some patrons as inconvenient even if they most often offer the best chance to find a parking spot.

If the city sends another negative message by starting to charge for something that has been free for years, it might drive more than just a few people away from downtown. Restaurant patrons certainly won’t be too thrilled about the prospect of having to interrupt dinner to feed a parking meter. Compare the parking situation in downtown Ann Arbor to downtown Plymouth where they offer plenty of short-term free parking spaces. Ann Arbor should take notice of how this nearby town welcomes its patrons.

According to SFGATE.com, the mayor of San Francisco backed away from a plan to extend meter enforcement hours there until 9 or 10 at night after the debacle in neighboring Oakland. So should the Ann Arbor City Council if this proposal comes back for consideration in April.