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Kansas City to hire third party to enforce parking in Crossroads

KC: 3rd party will enforce parking in Crossroads
KC: 3rd party will enforce parking in Crossroads
Posted at 9:38 PM, Jun 02, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-02 23:27:43-04

Whether it’s First Fridays or a sunny afternoon, finding street parking in the Crossroads can sometimes be a challenge. 

“When we find a parking spot, we jump on it right away,” said Kari Applstein, who lives in the area. 

Confusion over Crossroad parking signs 

And while finding a space can prove to be difficult, Applstein said this week in particular has been both confusing and frustrating. 

Both her and her husband’s cars were towed. 

They blame their confusion on the temporary ‘no parking’ signs scattered along Wyandotte between 20th and 22nd streets. 

“Half of them were pushed up against a wall, half of them were bent over. Some had graffiti on them,” said Applstein. Some "said no parking day or night [others] said no parking from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m."

According to Kansas City’s Public Works Department, KCP&L applied for permits for the signs. The permit is good through the end of June. 

And according to the city, until the permit expires those temporary signs are what residents need to abide by. 

Parking problems in the Crossroads 

While the temporary signs have caused confusion, Applstein said parking in the Crossroads is “difficult.” 

“For residents here we are very limited on our parking, especially when there are marathons or the First Fridays,” she said. “So when we find a parking spot, we jump on it right away.” 

Most on street parking in the area is 3-hour parking. However, the city’s public works department said neither the city nor the police department have enough resources to enforce such parking. 

It’s one of the reasons why the city is looking for a private vendor to take over such enforcement within the streetcar TDD. 

“As part of the budgeting process, the City agreed upon the Public Works department augmenting parking management and enforcement within the streetcar TDD. Utilizing a private vendor will not only offer improved technology and resources, but improves response time, hours of service, and customer service levels that neither the city or PD have sufficient staffing for. There is efficiency that comes with contract services. They are able to more quickly respond to violations and the city does not have to maintain staff, go through the hiring and training process, etc. The city believes the downtown core needs appropriate levels of enforcement to support downtown businesses and multi modal transportation, including streetcar operations.” 

- Kansas City Public Works Department Statement