Parking rates double for city meters

Chris Leighton, city parking program coordinator, said the meters will be converted within the next three to four weeks and signs will be posted to alert drivers of the new cost.

"We don't want to surprise anybody," he said.

Leighton hopes the new meter rates along University Boulevard will discourage student parking and allow more spaces to be available for customers of local merchants.

He also said the back-in parking on University Boulevard will be evaluated after a one-year trial period, but believes it should alleviate safety problems.

"Backing into the spots should work a little better once people get used to it and should be safer for bicycles," he said.

Marlis Davis, UA director of parking and transportation services, said the increase is a positive move and necessary to support operational costs of the city meters.

City parking meters near campus include those on University Boulevard between Euclid and Park avenues, Tyndall Avenue from Sixth Street to University Boulevard, Fifth Street between Euclid and Tyndall avenues, Seventh Street from Highland to Cherry Avenue, and Lowell Street near Santa Rita Avenue.

Leighton said the changes are part of T.E.A.M., Transportation Enterprising Area Management, which is a fully self-supported program that targets funding to community areas that need it most.

"It allows us to address concerns of an area a little better," he said.

Revenue from the meters will be used for community improvements around the university and North Fourth Avenue. More sidewalks, lighting and bike paths are planned in the next two years for the area, he said.

T.E.A.M. will also fund an extended shuttle service from downtown to the campus area that will be free for students and about 25 cents for other community members, he said.

Leighton said the city will begin to offer non-resident parking permits for campus area neighborhoods sometime this fall or early spring. He said apartments will also be eligible for permits and should be available in the next couple of months.