Holiday shoppers can look forward to a free parking pass for the next couple of weeks. The city of Durango will turn off all downtown meters from Saturday through Dec. 29 to replace them with the new high-technology meters that have been planned since July.
In order to replace the 1,000-plus meters, the meter system will have to be shut down, leaving parking spots free for holiday patrons.
Durango Business Development Manager Bob Kunkel said the timing was planned by the city to help promote downtown shopping during the holiday season. As the arrival date for the meters became later, Kunkel said, the city began planning to turn it to an advantage for consumers.
“We thought, why not do it at the most advantageous time and make it work for everybody?” Kunkel said. He and others hope the move will promote more downtown visits and shopping.
“This is a special holiday gift for our downtown merchants, galleries and restaurants,” Tim Walsworth, executive director of the Durango Business Improvement District, said in a news release. “We hope not having to plug the meters will enable locals and visitors alike to stay and enjoy downtown longer.”
Though metered spaces will be free for those 16 days, regular parking regulations still will be enforced in red and yellow zones, handicap-designated spaces and city parking lots.
The new meters will accept payment through smart cards in addition to the regular payment of coins. Meters within half a block of Main Avenue also will accept payment by credit cards, a total of about 335 meters according to Amber Blake, Durango multimodal administrator. Overall, approximately 1,200 meters will be switched throughout town.
Blake said the actual transition to the more advanced meters would take only two to three days, but the city decided to keep the system turned off longer.
The new meters also will bring changes to time periods and rates, with all 24-minute meters changing to 30-minute meters and charging $1 per hour as opposed to the current rate of 75 cents. Three- and 10-hour meters within a half block of Main also will charge $1 per hour, while those outside that zone will charge 75 cents. The rate increase will begin Jan. 2.
This transition originally was scheduled for August, but Blake said there were delays as the city worked to make sure the plan could be carried off without a hitch.
“Because it’s an entire program transition, we wanted to make sure all our t’s are crossed and i’s are dotted before executing the contract,” Blake said. “It’s a big deal for the community, and we wanted to make sure it’s done right.”
Also experiencing delays is the plan to place new meters along 13th Street and along East Second Avenue from 13th to 14th streets. Blake said new meters won’t be installed there until at least February and possibly not until the beginning of spring.
Once the new meters are installed, pass key owners will have to exchange their keys at the downtown transit station for a new smart card. Blake said the city will provide those turning in their pass keys with a $25 balance on their card, to replace the deposit balance for the pass keys, and will carry over any existing funds from the pass keys.
The new meters eventually will allow payment using a smartphone application, which Blake says will not be available until early spring.
Sarah Ford is a junior majoring in journalism at the University of Denver. herald@durangoherald.com
