J Magazine Winter 2018

The city of Jacksonville is testing new parking meter
technology along the 200 block of East Forsyth
Street that can tell when cars are parked in a space.
But if the city did, Shad believes people
would be pleased with the result.
“I think if you ask people ‘Would you
rather pay a little more and not have to drive
around for 15 minutes looking for a spot?’
It’s just another way of asking the question
‘What is your time worth?’” he said. “People
often say no, I’d rather pay a dollar and find
a spot now.”
In his thesis, Shad outlined a plan to install
parking sensors citywide. But the proposal
was ahead of its time. The balance sheet at
the Office of Public Parking was working its
way back from the red. Policymakers did
not want to pay for the parking sensors. And
raising a fee — even a parking fee — was
politically indefensible for a mayor who had
run on a pledge of no new taxes.
Today, the parking sensor technology is
back. But city leaders’ thoughts about how
they’ll use it are measured.
“Right now we want to determine the
effectiveness of these sensors,” said Bob
Carle, current head of the Office of Public
Parking.
Carle said he’s most interested in data like
occupancy and duration. But asked whether
the sensors might eventually be used to
decide where to raise prices, he deferred.
“That’s a policy decision,” he said.
Hughes said the city would study the
sensor performance for about six months
and also monitor for new technology that
might render the current sensors obsolete.
“That’s where the mayor, City Council
and policymakers can take that information
and apply it,” he said.
It would be nice if the vision could be
stronger. The smart meters could become a
powerful ally that could help Jacksonville to
raise meter prices in a way that incentivizes
parking garages and frees up space for the
kind of visitors Jacksonville wants to attract
Downtown.
For the sake of convenient on-street
parking, isn’t a rate hike due?
Carole Hawkins is a freelance writer.
She lives in Murray Hill.
J MAGAZINE
Q&A: DOWNTOWN PARKING GARAGES
Parking garages have public spaces.
But how do you find and use them?
One in three public parking spaces
Downtown is empty during peak
workday hours, according to a recent
consultant study. So why can’t people
easily find them? It’s because about
3,800 of those empty public spaces
are in Downtown garages. Only
about 70 of the spaces can be found
curbside.
Still, shouldn’t it be easy for an
informed visitor to simply find a
garage? Not really. Most Downtown
garages are privately operated. It’s
not obvious which ones are open
to public parking or how to pay for
them.
Here are answers to some
questions about finding a spot in a
parking garage:
Q: How can I find a garage that
has public parking spaces?
A: First look for a garage that
has a large circle with a “P” inside it.
Some garages will be full, since local
businesses purchase blocks of space
for their employees. A neon “Full”
sign will be lit if this is so.
Q: How do I know how much
I’ll be charged for using a parking
garage?
A: By city ordinance, garages with
public parking must post parking
rates at entrances. Rates currently
range from $1 to $5 per hour.
Q: Will my car be towed if my
The Library Parking Garage at 33 W. Duval St.
parking receipt expires before I
return to my car?
A: The private garages have their
own systems for paying and penalties
for violations. Many have manned
pay stations at their exits. But some
require parkers to pre-purchase
parking at an unmanned pay station.
Customers should place the receipt
on their windshield. Violators will
discover their windshield has been
tagged with an invoice that looks
like a ticket. Generally as long as the
invoice is paid, there’s no problem. If
it’s not paid, though, the car might be
towed for a repeat offense.
Q: Are any of the parking
garages city-owned?
A: There are four of them:
1. Library Garage: 33 W. Duval St.
($2.50 per hour)
2. Yates Garage: 200 E. Adams St.
($1 per hour)
3. Ed Ball Garage: 214 N. Hogan St.
($1 per hour)
4. Water Street Garage: 514 W.
Water St. (monthly parking only)
Q: Is there a place online
where I can see the locations of
Downtown parking garages?
A: A map of garages that have
parking spaces for the public can be
found on Downtown Vision’s website
at www.downtownjacksonville.org.
Click the Getting Around menu and
select the Parking link.
– CAROLE HAWKINS
WINTER 2018-19 | J MAGAZINE 85