Dueling Proposals for Downtown Parking: Councilmember Mike Martinez
Austin City Council will debate two proposals over extended paid-parking downtown: one by Mike Martinez and another by Laura Morrison. Photo by Daniel Reese for KUT News. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Earlier this year, the Austin City Council approved a measure to keep parking meters downtown in effect until midnight. Dueling proposals on next week’s city council agenda could change the plan.
KUT’s Matt Largey spoke with Councilmember Mike Martinez at his office about his proposal, which Martinez says would address widespread concerns from people who work and play downtown. (You can listen to Largey’s conversation with Councilmember Laura Morrison about her own proposal here.)
According to Martinez, his resolution “does not delay the implementation of the ordinance” which city council already approved. “But in my revision of the ordinance, I have asked that only warnings would be given for the first 30 days [for parking violators] and that all the other parameters…be in place prior to giving fines or tickets,” Martinez told KUT.
Among Martinez’s new “parameters”: better signage to help people find off-street parking, a smartphone application to show people where parking is available and dedicated loading and unloading zones for musicians.
The proposal would also limit the extended meter hours to just Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
To listen to the full conversation between Largey and Martinez, click on the audio player above.
Podcast: Download (4.0MB)
