Blue Parking Meters Mean More Handicap Spots in Downtown Birmingham (City of Birmingham, Oct. 7, 2016) BIRMINGHAM, MI – On Saturday, October 8, the City of Birmingham will begin the on-street installation of approximately 70 brand new designated accessible parking spaces throughout the Central Business District. The new spaces are the result of the City’s…
Reader Question: Why is it illegal to park left wheels to the curb? (Auburn Hills Police Chief Doreen Olko, April 22, 2016) Auburn Hills, MI – Some time ago I got a reader question from Crystal Proxmire publisher of the Oakland County 115 online news hub on this topic. At the time I had a stack…
Birmingham City Manager Gives an Update on Parking (Joseph A. Valentine, Birmingham City Manager, originally published at http://www.bhamgov.org, republished here Jan. 7, 2015) As City Manager, one of the most common questions I hear is “What’s happening with…?”. With so much happening in Birmingham, you can fill in this blank with numerous projects, programs and…
The City of Ferndale has released a video to teach people how to use the multi-space parking meters which are expected to be back online March 25.
Ferndale City Council has voted to extend free parking until March 24th, and to revert rates back to 50 cents per hour until further study can be done on what rates would be appropriate.
While the DDA has urged the city to improve the system, it has also become a partner with the city as a member of the City’s Parking Management Team. The DDA advocates for increased capacity and better management with professional audits and ongoing vetting of best practices in downtown parking management.
In order to quell some of the uproar, Ferndale City Council has extended a parking holiday until the next City Council meeting, March 11. Parking is free in Ferndale during that time, and the rates will be discussed at that meeting. Council has also approved the purchase of 14 more multi-space meters to help with the congestion. The machines have been rush ordered so they will come within the next two weeks.
People who park in Downtown Ferndale will notice some changes in the next month and a half, including possible increases in parking fees and the removal of individual parking meters from the street and city lots, with central payment centers installed and waiting to go online.
The changes are part of a long-term parking plan created by the DDA and the City of Ferndale to help raise money for more parking, most likely in the form of a parking structure. Over the past few years, the DDA and the City have taken several steps to make the parking system more profitable so that money can be set aside for improvements and growth.
An informational meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 25 from 6pm-7pm at City Hall. Residents are welcome to come and ask questions and sign up for their permits.
A big change will eliminate the need for small change in Downtown Ferndale when the district officially launches Parkmobile, a pay-by-phone parking system this Thursday, November 17.
On Monday, July 11, 2011’s City Council consent agenda is a plan to contract with Parkmobile to allow a person parking in Downtown Ferndale to use their cell phones to pay for their spots instead of having to fumble for quarters to feed the meter.