Parking meter trial DELAYED:

will NOT begin Monday, March 22.

By Chuck Gibson

LOVELAND, OH (UPDATED Version Friday evening March 19, 2021) – Wednesday, March 17, the City of Loveland announced plans to launch a  parking meter trial program beginning Monday, March 22. As of Friday, March 19, 2021, the City has announced a delay in the start of the Parking Meter trial. 

Here is the delay announcement from the City of Loveland release Friday, March 19, 2021:

Due TO INSTALLATION DELAYS, THE PROGRAM WILL NOT START mARCH 22. nEW POLES FOR THE METERS NEED TO BE ORDERED, SHIPPED AND INSTALLED. onCE COMPLETED, A NEW KICK-OFF DATE WILL BE ANNOUNCED. – City of Loveland, Friday, March 19, 2021. 

The city pilot program calls for a 90-day trial of parking meters running from Monday, March 22, – June 17, 2021. The trial is being run in collaboration with with meter equipment provider IPSGroup, Inc. and mobile app provider ParkMobile.

David Kennedy, Loveland City Manager (File)

“The city is in need of a comprehensive parking management program,” said City Manager David Kennedy. “This allows us to explore the feasibility of using paid parking as an effective and efficient strategy to manage parking in the downtown area.”

Free single-space parking spots along West Loveland Avenue, Broadway Street, Harrison Avenue, Railroad Avenue and Karl Brown Way will be converted to paid spots for the recommended fee of $1.00 per hour. Drivers may pay for spots at kiosks located in the City Hall parking lot or via the ParkMobile smartphone app.

 

Parking Meter Kiosk located in parking lot near Loveland City Hall (Chuck Gibson)

“The popularity of Downtown Loveland and growth in the Loveland area has increased traffic and parking issues,” said Sean Rahe, Loveland Police Chief. “The city has studied and implemented several techniques to help alleviate the congestion and ensure the roads are flowing as efficiently as possible. Many cities use paid parking to change driver behavior and encourage turnover in their existing parking spaces.”

 A key feature of the pilot program is the mobile app. With the app, drivers will have access to services such as digital payment, advance registration, expiration reminders, and re-reserving capabilities. ParkMobile charges each user a $0.35 fee to use the app. 

“The app has the capability to send you a reminder when your parking spot is due to expire,” Kennedy explained. “Let’s say you are sitting at a restaurant enjoying a meal. You’ll get a notification on your phone and can conveniently add more time.”

 During the pilot, City of Loveland Public Works employees will service the system, and Loveland Police will enforce the parking restrictions. Then, each department will submit its observations and data, along with IPS and ParkMobile, for the city to evaluate the program’s effectiveness. The pilot’s time period was specifically chosen to evaluate both early spring and summer conditions.

ParkMobile and IPS hardware are widely used in many urban areas throughout the United States. The City of Cincinnati, City of Columbus, City of Louisville and City of Lexington, as well as the Northern Kentucky International Airport, use this technology.

Once the pilot program ends and data is evaluated, city staff expects to make a recommendation to City Council in June. Residents and visitors can provide feedback on the program to City Hall by phone at (513) 683-0150 or by email to Mandy Lucas at mlucas@lovelandoh.gov. To view a current map of the city’s parking, please visit https://www.lovelandoh.gov/369/Parking-Map.