You're Apparently the Problem
The Bricktown parking study isn’t out yet, but this bit of news was distributed by the Bricktown Association to its members. I’ve already received a call from one person complaining about a ticket issued at 6 p.m. in Bricktown – when enforcement throughout downtown has typically stopped at 4:30 p.m.
Read this and ponder whether meter enforcement isn’t going to be a factor in the upcoming consultant’s study and recommendations:
It has been brought to our attention that parking meters in downtown and Bricktown are now being enforced for the hours stated on the meters. So meters are being enforced earlier and later than what they have been. As of right now, they are not being enforced on Saturdays, but this could change in the future.
Currently we are working with the City Planning Department to release the results of the parking study. As we get more information regarding meter enforcement, we will pass this along to everyone. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.
ONE MORE OBSERVATION: Is it fair to simply change enforcement tactics without making it known to the public? Why inform just the Bricktown Association? This is similar to a brief effort by police a couple of years ago to start issuing tickets on Saturdays without a public discussion. The effort was quickly abandoned after a public outcry.
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Comments
I was going to say the same thing – if the meters give hours on them that they are not going to enforce – pay the meter!
It is sorta like speed limits. If it says the speed is 65 and you always drive 70, you may get a ticket.
I agree – why do the Police need to inform the public before enforcing an existing law? Having visited many cities, bigger and smaller than OKC, that charge for all parking, even meters on Sunday, I think we have it great here under existing conditions. I wouldn’t ask for parking to change; walking a block or two is healthy!
Everyone should receive the same and fair notice of a change in policy. If the norm has been NOT to enforce the stated times on the meters, some public announcement should be made so people know that a policy change has occurred.
Unless I’m badly mistaken, Oklahoma City has an ordinance against “j-walking” — yet hardly anyone goes to the corner at a stop light and crosses at an intersection. The norm, in downtown, is for people to cross the street anywhere they want to — police don’t enforce the ordinance. If that enforcement policy were to change, it would be fair and right for an announcement to be made so that the public would know.
I still think some of the problems surrounding Bricktown’s true growth into maturity will be the parking issue. Yes laws are laws, however when your talking about billion dollar investments going up we must be consistent. All the “little” laws and ordinances should be maintained consistently and fairly. Locals must be behind Bricktown and visitors need to return. If people get treated unfairly or have a negative image they won’t be back or at least not for a while.
Of course, there is no actual parking problem in Bricktown . . . only an inaccurate perception and the resultant whining by people that are accustomed to pulling their SUV into a free parking spot right in front of the entrances of the strip malls or chain restaurants they typically frequent. And, I think paying for parking is the bigger issue . . . not a shortage of parking . . . people in OKC are used to parking in a giant paved lot at the mall for nothing. If you get a ticket parked at a meter during the posted enforcement hours, pay the $10 ticket and don’t do it
again.
I love to quote former City Councilman Gorey James’ comment from Bricktown’s early days after Spaghetti Warehouse had been open a few months in 1989 and people were bitching about the lack of parking . . . he said . . . “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen much congestion in downtown Oklahoma City . . . and we are looking forward to seeing a lot more congestion in the future.” The Bricktown Spaghetti Warehouse restaurant took in almost $4 Million it’s first year . . . selling mediocre Italian food, so I guess people were both very hungry for an urban dining experience and somehow able to find a spot to park. Also, on the 4th of July weekend a few years back when the Bricktown Canal opened, over 250,000 visitors reportedly passed through Bricktown and there was way less parking than there is today.
So, the complainers should park where they can find a spot, walk a few blocks if necessary and shut their pie holes.
Side Note: Spaghetti Warehouse paid $189,000.00 in 1989 for the ten story building that they still only occupy two floors of . . . Those upper floors don’t have great ceiling height, but they do have incredible wood floors and huge rough sawn wood columns and beams . . . the building is a great mixed use development opportunity for a developer that really knows their stuff. How many $Mil would that building bring today . . . pretty savvy real estate investment.
Why weren’t the posted hours being inforced?