Council moves to ease Atlanta parking problems with new zones

On Thursday night, Mat “Quickie” Tainow took a stroll through downtown Atlanta.

He walked along Luckie Street. Then Forsyth Street. Then Cone Street, before making his way back to Poplar Street, where his restaurant, Sidebar, is located.

“There wasn’t a single car parked on the streets,” Tainow said. “Fairlie-Poplar is still up and coming and it is a struggle to get people here on nights and weekends. I have had people tell me, ‘I am not coming down there because there is nowhere to park.’ That kind of makes it tough to run a business.”

Which creates an interesting paradox: dozens of empty parking spaces, but no cars to use them. That might change soon.

For the second time in less than a year, the Atlanta City Council has completely changed the city’s parking regulations. Earlier this week, the council voted to create at least four distinct parking zones that would each have unique parking hours and restrictions.

With the 10-0 vote the council moved to increase the time limits of metered parking in certain areas and to eliminate overnight parking restrictions in those areas altogether. Sunday enforcement also was eliminated, though Atlanta police still will ticket and tow illegally parked cars.

“This legislation creating the parking zones is a real shift in the way we view metered parking in Atlanta,” said Post 1 At-Large City Council member Michael Julian Bond, who wrote the legislation as chairman of the council’s Transportation Subcommittee on Parking Enforcement. “It makes the application of it more practical and it takes into consideration the needs of the public. There is no one-size-fits-all in usage, and parking options should reflect that.”

The enforcement of the new regulations goes into effect immediately. However, Bond has given the city’s Department of Public Works 90 days to change all of the city’s signage and reprogram the parking meters.

“We want to maintain a vibrant and growing city and to do that we must ease any unnecessary restrictions for our residents and visitors,” said City Council President Ceasar C. Mitchell. “By allowing for additional parking hours in certain areas, businesses will benefit as well.”

Atlanta's parking woes began late last year when the city entered into a contract with PARKatlanta to allow the company to manage all of the city's parking enforcement, including the issuance of parking citations.

Under the contract, PARKatlanta would pay the city $5.5 million a year and keep the rest of the revenue. With the change, every parking meter and area in the city came under the same restrictions -- the most severe being 24-hour parking enforcement and two-hour limits on metered parking.

Drivers complained that PARKatlanta was being too aggressive and even acting illegally as a nonsworn agency issuing traffic tickets. Some business owners -- like Tainow -- complained that the metered parking killed their business.

Downtown resident and Atlanta Downtown Neighborhood Association board member Todd A. Craig said he is a strong proponent of strict parking enforcement.

“The main issues with the transition to PARKatlanta were not PARKatlanta's fault,” said Craig, who placed the blame on the city for a failure to streamline signage and establish the parking zones earlier.

“A lot of this drama and public backlash could have been avoided had those things been thought through beforehand,” Craig said. “Downtown has such a high volume of traffic during business hours that those who chose to squat in spaces all day really were inconveniencing so many others for their own self interest.”

As someone who commutes to the city daily, Pamela Arnold, the president of the nonprofit American Institute for Managing Diversity, welcomed the clarity that the parking changes provide.

“Even when I am at work, I have a number of meetings across the city and I am always looking for places to park,” Arnold said. “The challenge was finding something clearly identifiable and available. I welcome the structure and the efficiency being gained.”

For Tainow, who also owns Engine 11 on North Avenue, the changes should bring relief. His establishments  likely will be in an “entertainment zone.” Those areas, which will include restaurants and hospitals, will have four-hour meters and enforcement from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.

“Those new hours seem more reasonable,” Tainow said. “We live in a city and I am not saying there should be free parking. I understand the city’s need to raise money, but to do it in a way to impede businesses is not right.”

Here is a snapshot of the new zones:

Business/Government Zone:

An area where parking is occupied by patrons of businesses or government offices with high need for parking turnover. Enforcement days are Monday through Saturday. Enforcement hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Parking time limit is two hours.

Mixed Use Zone

An area where buildings have multiple uses, including residential and commercial, but do not have on-site parking. Enforcement days are Monday through Friday. Enforcement hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Parking time limit is three hours.

School/University Zone

An area where the majority of parking is occupied by attendees of post-secondary colleges and universities. Enforcement days are Monday through Saturday. Enforcement hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Parking time limit is three hours.

Entertainment/Restaurant/Hospital Zone