Can Detroit Fix its Parking Enforcement Mess?

Nancy Kaffer lays out an argument that the city is approaching parking all wrong—and not just because the city spends more than it collects when writing tickets. According to Kaffer, even new fines proposed by Mayor Kevin Orr would not give parking its proper value among the city’s many related land use policies and regulations.

“In Detroit, parking exists largely in isolation, disconnected from the planning process. And that’s a problem. The city’s municipal parking system should complement its planning and development process, and should be a part of a comprehensive strategy that includes surface lots and parking decks downtown and sets smart guidelines for metered parking in downtown and Midtown,” writes Kaffer.

Kaffer also says that Orr’s proposal to raise the price of a ticket is missing the point because viewing parking as a revenue generator fails to connect parking to an economic agenda.

To propose an alternative approach, Kaffer paraphrases Sue Mosey, president of Midtown Detroit Inc.: “Instead of figuring out how to extract money from the parking system…city planners should determine what kinds of rates and enforcement times make sense based on how long folks are likely to park.”