The city will install more parking meters in high traffic areas of the city. they say it will help businesses circulate more customers, the businesses disagree.

By the end of 2018, the City of Grand Rapids will over 240 parking stations throughout the city, for a total of over 1440 new pay parking spots.

Most of those new meters will pop up in areas where businesses have revitalized neighborhoods, like Bridge Street NW around Anchor Bar and New Holland Brewery and the Southeast side on Wealthy Street near Woosah and Donkey Taqueria.

Josh Naramore, who runs Mobile GR and Parking Services told WOOD-TV that the new meters will help businesses got more customers by cycling them through faster. "You prevent people for parking for eight hours, 10 hours. So if you're a restaurant, bar or retail shop, you have the availability to have more parking on the street."

Besides being a confusing statement, the idea that more customers would cycle through is not ringing true with business owners.

Eli Harper, the manager at New Holland told WOOD-TV, "It's not a win for customers and it's not a win for staff."

What do you think? Do parking meters help or hurt businesses? I think the point Harper makes about staff is a fair one. Restaurant staffers having to be bothered to re-up their parking on their apps during a busy shift not only cuts into their pay, if they forget during a busy shift, now they have the added expense of ticket. Ouch!

"Change is difficult," says Naramore. Yeah, and so is parking in certain parts of town.

 

 

 

 

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