- Starting December 1, Downtown Jackson parking is still free for 2 hours, but moving your car doesn't reset the clock.
- Fines are going up from starting at $7 to $28 and up.
- A $10 day pass available online and at City Hall gives you parking Downtown without a time limit.
- Enforcement has not yet started, says city official.
There are some new rules in Downtown Jackson about parking...and fees and fines to go with them.
I asked neighbors whether they were aware.
WATCH FOR DETAILS AND WHAT NEIGHBORS THINK:
Tammy, are you aware of the new parking fee and fine system that starts today? I asked one Monday.
"No, I'm not," she said.
Other neighbors I talked to were also not aware.
You still get two hours for free. If you exceed the two hours, the fines have been increased to start at $28. That's a total of two hours. Moving your car doesn't reset the clock. But you can get a $10 day pass if you want to stay longer.
"I don't think that sounds unreasonable," says Ron Marienfeld.
Tammy says it sounds like a good deal. "It's better than what I was doing," she says. "I work at the Oak and Iron. It's hard to find a parking place, and I'll park and I have to run out and move my car in two hours. "
Jackson neighbor Gloria's reaction was mixed. She said you don't always know how long you will be, and two hours might be just enough — or not.
"Sometimes it doesn't take that long," she said. "Then if you're coming down here and you're having fun, and you're forgetting about how long you've been parked out there, that's another oops."
As president and CEO of Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, Ryan Tarrant explained: "Yeah, it's really the $10 all-day pass that is the important thing here...It's not two hours or a fine — it's two hours or an all-day pass."
The day pass is available online and at City Hall.
Tarrant says the City will have a QR code out on street signs in the near future where people can scan it with their smart phones to access the payment platform.
Right now, City Engineer Troy White says there's no need to worry too much just yet.
"We've still got a lot of work to do before the new system's completely up and running, says White.
"We're working now to get the signs switched out. Until the signs are switched out, we're not going to be able to do full enforcement."
And here's a little secret for those who work downtown. Lot 9A on the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Cortland Street is free with no time limit.
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