Traverse City Record-Eagle

Region

July 9, 2010

Parking issues at forefront during fest

BY ALEX PIAZZA apiazza@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — Doug Lakin won't win any local popularity contests this week.

But Lakin, 56, of Traverse City, is OK with that. It comes with the territory for a Traverse City parking enforcement official.

His duty is to handle parking issues in the downtown area, a hectic task this week with the National Cherry Festival in town. On Thursday, Lakin strolled Front Street with a handful of tickets for vehicles tucked along expired meters or illegally parked in a handicap space.

Some downtown merchants are grateful to Lakin for easing traffic congestion, but the same can't be said for motorists who find a ticket attached to the windshield.

"I've had people throw rocks at me," he said. "It's a high-stress job. I just let it roll off my shoulders."

Parking enforcement officials have written about 30 tickets a day since the festival kicked off last week, and Traverse City Police averaged another 20 citations daily, said Gil Rupp, city Auto Parking System administrator. Those numbers are expected to spike in the coming days as the festival concludes on Saturday with a fireworks display.

"There's a noticeable difference in how many people are driving downtown," Rupp said. "Last weekend, when the Blue Angels were in town, that's the largest challenge."

Tickets run $5 per citation and increase if a vehicle lingers at an expired meter. Some parking scofflaws could return to find their vehicles towed, if their violations are particularly egregious.

Parking meters usually are emptied once a week during the summer. Auto Parking System revenues, including parking fines, last year reached about $520,000, 10 percent of which went to the city's general fund, Rupp said.

Some suspect Lakin and his fellow ticket-writers wait around for meters to expire, then immediately scribble a citation. That's not the case, he said.

"We've got too many cars to deal with to hover around your vehicle and ruin your day," he said. "We're not trying to hurt people or take their money. We're just trying to make room for everyone."

Lakin is one of two parking enforcement officials to patrol downtown streets during the festival, so his 14-hour shift on Thursday was routine this time of year.

"It's been a long couple weeks," he said.

City police handle overnight parking enforcement.

Front Street business owner Donna Folgarelli hired four people this week to patrol the perimeter of her market to ensure customers could find her lot. But she acknowledged it's nearly impossible to monitor every vehicle that parks at Folgarelli's.

"It's not controllable," she said. "They're everywhere. It's definitely a concern to all of us store owners."

Folgarelli at least hopes motorists who park close to her market will stop by and look around.

"We have to be the guest with the open door," she said. "The way I look at it, it's one week out of the year."

Heather Schwartz on Thursday avoided searching for a space along the downtown streets, and instead parked in a nearby neighborhood.

"Parking is nuts," said Schwartz, 27, of Traverse City. "There's people driving around for hours. It's pointless. What is the problem with walking?"

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