For some drivers, parking is critical, especially when it’s near their home. It’s even more critical to those who don’t want to drive to work, like Loring Park resident Ben Bockover.
“If I could leave my car here, if there weren’t hours where I’d have to move it, I’d bike,” Bockover said of his commute to his job on Lyndale Avenue, while walking to his car to go grocery shopping.
On some blocks in Loring Park, people either have to move their vehicles every so often between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays, or spring for a $25 annual permit to park on some blocks for as long as 72 hours. These blocks are part of what are called Critical Parking Areas, and the zones may soon change as the city of Minneapolis works to get people biking, walking, and taking transit more.
Changes begin in Cedar-Riverside
The Minneapolis City Council approved the first of three rounds of changes to its so-called Critical Parking Areas on Aug. 1. The changes affect zones in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood by:
- Eliminating some critical parking spots and allows anyone to park there for free,
- Converting critical parking spots into metered spaces, meaning anyone parking there would have to pay, or
- Changing critical parking spots so that only those with a critical parking permit can park there.
City spokesperson Allen Henry said the project is in response to significant development and land use changes in the city over the past couple of decades. “The restrictions are no longer relevant in several cases,” Henry said.
The city also is making changes to critical parking areas to get people to walk, bike, and take public transit more often. The city’s goal is for 60% of all travel to occur without a car by 2030.
Later this year, the city plans to implement changes to zones in Loring and Elliot Park, neighborhoods just south of downtown Minneapolis. The city is still researching potential changes. A presentation for the Minneapolis City Council says the days and hours of when a vehicle would be required to have a permit to park could change, or the zones could be eliminated entirely. From there, the city could either install meters or let any vehicle park for free. After they make changes to Loring and Elliot Park, they plan to finalize changes citywide by next year.
History of critical parking
The Critical Parking program was established in 1976 at a time when cities across the nation were trying to address suburban commuters parking in residential neighborhoods. The first two zones were created in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, after residents voiced frustration with competing for parking with students and hospital workers. These same two zones are being modified by the city today.
The zones are established by resident petition. A resident has to collect signatures from 75% of residences in an area that they wish to designate as a critical parking area. After the city conducts a parking study, staff present the designation of such a zone before the City Council for approval.
Permits for these zones started at $7 when the program was created in 1976, with a $2 annual renewal fee. Since 2004, permits have cost $25 annually. About 2,100 vehicles have a permit to park in a critical parking area, out of around 2,500 eligible residences.
Parking critical for livelihoods
In its presentation, the city said Augsburg University is a supporter of plans to make changes to how critical parking areas work around campus because permit holders often can’t find spaces. They include restricting on-street parking spaces around campus to only those who have permits, as well as converting the rest of the spaces to metered parking. Augsburg University administration says they are allotted 75 permits for their students to use.
But Augsburg University spokesperson Rachel Farris says the university has not offered support of the plan.
“Augsburg was not asked to approve or support a set of proposed changes to city parking on campus and around Murphy Square Park, but did provide feedback to the city traffic and parking services department related to parking availability, parking spot turnover, and snow clearance under the plan,” Farris said.
Meanwhile, the executive directors of both the Loring and Elliot Park neighborhood associations say the city has not contacted them to discuss proposed changes to their critical parking areas.
“We seem to have some real difficulty getting timely notices from public works, if at all. It’s hard to understand since residents and businesses here are the taxpayers and paying for these projects,” said Jana Metge, executive director of Citizens for a Loring Park Community.
The city plans to conduct engagement “after the proposed changes are determined,” Henry said.
Nonetheless, residents in both Loring and Elliot Park are not happy about the prospect of existing critical parking zones being converted into metered zones.
“We have chosen to park in metered zones before, but primarily that causes a lot of stress. Those spots, you have to wake up early and either move your car or pay the meter or risk getting towed. And I’ve already gotten one citation on my windshield before because I was trying to park somewhere and my time expired before I woke up,” Loring Park resident Cassandra Hagen said while walking on the street, adding she is struggling to make ends meet with her wages. Hagen uses her car to get to work downtown, as well as to visit family in Cook, Minnesota.
She thought about buying a bike, but can’t afford to do so because she has to pay to maintain and insure her car. She also considered taking the bus to and from work, but she’s worried about how she would get home after her shift at night, especially during the winter. “Being in downtown, like an urban setting, I’ve seen at my job (that) we deal with a lot of stuff because of that urban setting, unfortunately, and it’s very tough, but that makes me more wary of public transportation, especially because it’s not something I grew up knowing how to use,” Hagen said, adding she is willing to learn how to use public transit.
Safety concerns are also what prompted Elliot Park resident Mellie Salas to drive to get around. She experienced harassment while being out and about.
“I’ve always had men come up to me the minute they see me alone. It’s best to have a car to feel safe out and about,” Salas said as she moved her belongings from a car that doesn’t work to another car she just bought. She also doesn’t think parking spots that are part of the Elliot Park critical parking area, designated ahead of the 1982 opening of the now-demolished Metrodome, should remain as they are today.
Salas also needs a car because she does not feel safe biking and walking in the winter.
“It’s not safe to bike and walk in the winter because of the snow. They don’t even plow the sidewalks or the streets and sometimes it gets too cold to walk,” Salas said.
As challenging as it is for her to drive in the city, Hagen would rather stick to that form of commuting.
“It’s just much easier to say I’ll just drive my car that I’ve spent so much money and time on than to take public transportation, which would cost extra couple dollars, or an extra $120 to get a bicycle,” Hagen said.
