You are now required to pay for parking along certain streets in the River Market district of downtown Kansas City.
The city installed parking meters last month. But these aren’t your standard meters.
The city installed four different types of pay stations. Drivers enter their license plate number in one of the stations and can use cash or a credit card to pay for parking.
The city will treat the next several months as a pilot program to decide which type of pay station works best. The plan is to replace the existing meters in the Crossroads part of town with these pay stations as well.
The stations will be compatible with the Parkmobile app allowing drivers to add money to their meter remotely.
This is the first time the city has charged for street side parking in the River Market.
“I would prefer free parking, but it doesn't bother me too much,” admitted Ethan Skinner. “It makes sense you have to charge for parking. It surprises me that they had free parking for so long.”
Drivers only need to pay Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Weekends will remain free. Parking lots remain free.
Monday, a city committee brought up the idea of implementing an escalating rate structure. The first two hours of parking would cost one price, each additional hour would increase in cost.
City leaders have said charging for parking increases turnover. Arguing that paid parking opens up more prime parking spots in front of businesses by making it expensive for cars to stay parked in one spot all day long.
“I get how that would be bad for business if people just parked all day, but if people are patronizing the businesses it should be ok, it's not like we're loitering down here,” countered Shakyra Washington.
Skinner said the escalating pay scale would take some getting used to, but thinks it could accomplish what the city hopes.
“If you're parking down here just to go to a restaurant or something that shouldn't be a problem. If you're parking down here for work, you may want to consider a different parking option,” he explained.
One business said the idea of paid parking in the River Market is a bad idea, especially if the city adds the escalating rates.
“People don't want to pay for parking is the main thing,” Mary Harmon of Cascone’s said. “If they have to pay for parking, they're going to try to park in the lots and if there is nowhere to go in the lots, they're going to go somewhere else.”
The city will revisit the escalating rate structure next month.
During the pilot program period, the city is collecting feedback on its websiteand through an online survey.
