Ahed Al-Soufi

Honors 1000 The City

Essay #3
Word Count (1491)

One of the most irritating things about Detroit, as many people have already witnessed, is
parking. This more has to do with parking meters to be exact, in the locations of downtown and
midtown. In the late month of July 2015, rumors spread about the return of the parking meters
that people despised. On July 27, 2015, Marti Benedetti published an article titled Detroit to
launch high-tech, solar-powered parking system. In this article, it was explained to all the readers
and people of Detroit of the details of the new meters that will replace all the old meters in the
month of August, 2015. These new solar powered meters, kiosks, will only be installed in 300
different locations of midtown and downtown replacing 3,000 old, outdated parking meters. Just
the kiosk portion itself cost the city of Detroit $3.5 million. For years, Detroits meters have been
broken and caused lots of issues as well as frustration with parking enforcement and victims of
expired parking meter tickets. Meanwhile, as this is all occurring, the parking hourly rate will
continue to be the same in neighborhoods being $1 an hour. However, in the Eastern Market and
Midtown areas, hourly rate will be bumped up to $1.50 an hour and $2 an hour in Detroits
central business district. The easiest part of this process is when you fill up the meter. Since
many people stopped carrying loose change for meters in the time they were broken. You now
have the ability to pay by credit or debit card, online parking app, or call a toll free number in
link with customer survive of kiosk that are available 24/7. An actual good thing with the new

meters is the ability to be able to park anywhere, where there is a kiosk, if your time still hasnt
run out.

Everything aside, its still absurd to have to pay to park nearly everywhere you try to go
in downtown or midtown. People should have the luxury of not having to worry about finding
free parking or worrying how much to pay and when to keep filling up the meter. Since the
installment of the kiosks, they began to spread out more into the neighborhoods where residents
lived. This was a major issue not only for them, but for businesses as well. The residents
complained about use to having the street for free parking in front of there residential halls. But
now they have to pay every two hours just to keep their car there from getting a ticket. Why do
they have to pay the meters repeatedly, everyday just to keep their cars from being a victim of
the parking enforcers? An area where this issue took place was Second Avenue since it is
primarily a residential neighborhood. Kevin Singer is a current resident that had been living on
Second Avenue in midtown for four years and has never had any issues until the kiosks were
introduced. "We want to live in Detroit," Singer said. "We want to help grow the tax base for the
city, especially in this area, but its pretty hard to when you have to pay for parking by the hour
to park in front of your own homei." Singer was so frustrated with these new additions of the
kiosks that he started a petition. Singer is still currently petitioning the city of Detroit in
removing the parking meters from Second Avenue. When meters were added into Southwest
Detroit, residents and businesses spoke up and the city agreed to move them, so Singer believed
he could do the same. He currently has more than over 1,048 people that have signed the petition
and still at itii. Singers plan with the petition is a very promising way of getting rid of the meters

in his area. There is a very high chance that the solution he came up with to his problem will
work eventually or lead to other solutions in dealing with the problem.

Finding an open parking spot in midtown and downtown can be very difficult. Especially
when its busy and youre in a rush to get somewhere. People get tired of paying every single day
to park when it should be in the first place. So instead, they would drive until they find any free
parking street or a cheap parking lot that would allow them to stay parked all day without
worrying about any meters. In downtown, there are more parking garages, surface lots, and street
meters than there are people who want to parkiii. This was another solution to fix the meters
problem that wasnt provided by the city, but by private lot owners. They charged anyone from
$1.50 - $10 to park in their lots for the remainder of the day and no worry about parking
violation tickets or an expired meter. This helps reduce the stress level of all those who are in a
rush and dont want to keep filling up their meters. Then again, sometimes the prices for the lots
would even jack up to $20 - $50 depending on the location and if theres an event going on. For
instance, any lot or garage near Comerica Park and Ford Field are about $10 - $20 on normal
days when no games are going on. But when a game goes on, it gets real haptic near the stadium
and cars are just looking anywhere to park, so thats when people start jacking up their prices.
The drivers dont really complain because they tend to know how the system works with supply
and demand but at the same time. They wont be able to find any other close parking to the
stadium without having to park somewhere cheaper and walk 30 minutes. Another benefit of
these lots is that they help prevent people from getting tickets because last Spring. Former
emergency manager Kevyn Orr approved a new rate for parking fines. The increase bumped
tickets from $30, $50 and $80 to $45, $65 and $95, respectively, for parking violations and late

fees. The new schedule also eliminated a $10 rate for early paymentiv. The rise of the tickets is
nonsense and is basically a scam for Detroit to continue stealing money from tax payers. As well
as eliminating the $10 rate makes things even worse. The people of Detroit will soon start going
against parking meters if these uncalled rates keep getting higher and absurd.

People are tired of paying parking meters, parking tickets, and stressing out over parking
in general. Its true the money goes to the city of Detroit but its unfair for most. A solution to help
reduce the complaining and fuss around everywhere where there is parking meters is residential
benefits. Those that live in the residency with kiosk meters should be eligible for free parking.
Why should they pay to park in front of there homes or apartments? Why do they have to stress
over getting a ticket when there trying to relax where they live? Do Detroits parking
enforcements not care? Are they that greedy for money? They should understand that people
work for that money and then have to throw it all away on these meters. Another solution is to
build more parking structures or to build onto the current structures. This gives more options for
people to park, especially those who are always in a rush and dont have the time to look for an
open spot with a meter. It also allows them to park in the structure all day and not worry about
paying every hour or so from not getting a ticket.
Having meters in Detroit has been a good thing and bad thing. Everyone has there share
of problems with them whatever it may be. With that being said, there is also benefits of these
meters. They raise money that goes into Detroits budget to help rebuild and strengthen the city.
People complain about how Detroit lost its touch, like when it was in its prime. The city of
Detroit was overpopulated and always alive with people. It flourished with rich people and fancy
houses. Now its mostly populated with black people who are below middle class. You cant

expect change by not doing nothing. You must be willing to try and give something up, in this
case its money, to remotely start seeing change occurring in Detroit. Kiosks are a small part of
this held by the parking enforcements who are doing everything in Detroits best interest to help
it, big or small.

i Reporter Jason Colthorp interviews Kevin Singer regarding the topic, Parking meters driving
residents mad.
ii A letter to the City of Detroit by Kevin Singer petitioning the removal of kiosks in Second Avenue.
iii Detroit spends more money issuing parking fines than it collects from them, an article by Emily
Badger.
iv The Detroit News published an article by Christine Ferretti titled, Detroit upgrades parking meters,
weighs higher rates.