Wednesday, June 6, 2007

City to consider parking changes June 18

Gurus encourage paid parking as part of solution


By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

Exactly how the plan will look is still a matter of conjecture, but Ketchum officials are going to change the way the city manages parking, and they're going to do it this summer.

"If we change our strategy I believe we can make this work," said Ketchum Police Chief Cory Lyman. "Right now, they're just beating the system. They (employees) watch for the two-hour check, run out and move the car."

Ketchum officials opened another old debate last month when they decided to examine parking in the city's downtown, with an eye toward getting employees to quit parking in two-hour parking areas. Such a move could open up as many as 80 additional parking stalls every day.

The council will consider formal action at its Monday, June 18, meeting, and those changes could include revamping two-hour parking zones, issuing a educational pamphlet, revising regulations to discourage employees who move their cars every two hours or increasing fines.

While city officials have been hesitant to implement paid parking, transportation gurus are saying it's one of the most efficient tools to creating parking spaces and reducing the number of cars on the highway.

"It's really not going to work unless you've got paid parking in place," said Jason Miller, co-director of KART and PEAK. "And once you've started you need to be committed to it in the long term."




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