Does Downtown Need Parking Meters?

[fsujax]

I hate the meters and then not being able to find a quarter to put in the stupid, dinosaur things.....speaking from my experience yesterday.

[Lunican]

For future reference, the library has a book return drop box on Duval Street.

[thelakelander]

If you're going to be in downtown near Hemming Plaza for less than an hour, park in the library garage. Make your run, then get your parking validated at the library information desk on the main floor.

[uptowngirl]

There is a library parking garage?

I had no idea...

I like that I can order any book on want on line to be delivered anywhere you like (I choose Brentwood) and just go pick it up when you get your email....I ahve found this much easier than trying to park and navigate the homeless downtown. I do miss the little stops i make at the businesses by the library while there...but I am finally starting to realize they really don't want anyone doing anything but working downtown.

[kathy Jackson]

Jacksonville is on the edge of ruin and they are just preying on the poor.
This one of the most racist cities in America.
All people of color know that this hell on earth is cursed, why don't white people?

[tufsu1]

and this relates to parking meters how?

[mtraininjax]

OK - Who among the parking meter historians is taking meters with, what $30 worth of coins, right off their posts? This is pathetic when people resort to stealing the meters for money. From CBS47 website:

A meter mystery is creating a parking headache in Downtown Jacksonville.Someone is stealing parking meters right off their poles downtown. According to the City of Jacksonville, twenty parking meters have disappeared over the last four weeks. The meters hold at the most $30 in quarters and aren't easy to steal.
“It really takes a heavy piece of equipment or a vehicle with a chain to take [the meters] out -- a lot of effort for the small amount of change that goes into those meters,” said Bob Carle, chief of the city’s parking division.

As a result of the thefts, crews have increased the collection of money and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has been notified.
“It's hard to tell what motivates the folks that tear up the parking meters but it could be the nominal change that's in there or it could be the novelty of having the parking meter,” said Carle.
Most of the meters were stolen off streets that don't see a lot of on-street parking. Many of the stolen meters have been replaced with refurbished meters. The city is looking to move towards “smart” meters that accept credit cards when money is available.

[thelakelander]

Perhaps its not about the change?  Maybe they should just pull up all the meters and reinstall them at SJTC.  There's more money to be made there.

[Lunican]

“It's hard to tell what motivates the folks that tear up the parking meters but it could be the nominal change that's in there or it could be the novelty of having the parking meter,” said Carle.

Or maybe it's revenge.

[Overstreet]

I hate meters, but I hate searching for a damn parking space more. ............... fight off three different homeless dudes begging for money. .............

Without the meters the folks that work down there would park on the street to save parking fee and there wouldn't be any spaces.

I don't lie to the "give me a dollar guys" I just tell them,  "No" or "No, get away from me".

[thelakelander]

Just place a time limit on the free parallel parking an enforce it like they do in downtown Cleveland and Raleigh.


New free parallel parking spaces on Euclid Avenue in the heart of DT Cleveland

Anyway, I've noticed the missing meter heads on the street.  Now I seek them out and park in those spaces to avoid having to pay.  The change saved up is better spent supporting people who have taken risks to open businesses in DT despite the backwards public policy enforced on their customers.

[tufsu1]

Overstreet, there are 18thousand people living working and playing downtown.  There are 36 thousand parking spaces.  Even if every employee parked on the street, there would still be room for twice as many people as are presently downtown.

Where do these figures come from?

As they are far different from other published figures, please cite the source(s).

[thelakelander]

I think Stephen has excluded Riverside Avenue and the Southbank from those numbers.

[tufsu1]

maybe so Lake...but from the numbers I've seen, the northbank had more than 30,000 employees/residents a few years ago...I know there's been some job loss, but I doubt its that much.

And the parking numbers seem high, unless of course all the spaces around the stadium are being couted.

[Dan B]

I think we should go the other direction. Since its so vital to our thriving downtown, we need to impliment parking meters/enforcement at the Town Center. I was down there tonight, and there are a ton of money making opportunities down there.

BTW, who maintains the streets in the town center? Are they city owned, or private property? If they are city owned, I demand we put meters up immediatly to help step the parking hogs who sit in those spaces for HOURS on end!!! Who do they think they are!?!