Yes, I meant that to be a description of a behavioral category not a description of geographic origin. But I think it’s still useful to ask the question implicit in Floyd’s comment: Where are retail/transactional customers and visitors coming from? One low effort way (compared to windshield flyer surveys, for example) to get some initial insight would be to analyze the zip code information collected from those who use credit cards to pay at on-street metered kiosks.

However, Dave may be lumping the city residents who don’t live downtown into the “retail/transactional customers and visitors” category, and I would add also Greater Ann Arbor residents who don’t live in the city. This Scio resident makes only very carefully planned trips downtown, and that includes parking planning — and only when there’s no alternative. It’s not really too much of an exaggeration to say that, in general, I avoid Downtown like the plague. For an easier, more pleasant routine shopping and errand trip, I’m likely to go to Dexter. And, as a lifelong Ann Arbor resident and fiercely proud Townie, I think that’s sad.

But, who are we kidding? Do we think this article and comments are going to be acted upon?

DrData, for sake of absolute clarity, could this suggestion also be phrased as: “Metered on-street parking should be enforced until 9 p.m. – not just until 6 p.m. like it is now.”?

I suspect consumers are also resistant to increased parking prices based on the comments to annarbor.com when this was last discussed. Folks will drop $80 for dinner and drinks but complain because they had to pay for parking or that they had to pay $4 for parking instead of $3.20. Folks are also sympathetic to the low-paid workers who depend on that free at 6pm meter.

Still, I would encourage the city council to use their parking spaces more efficiently. Charge more for the most popular spots and less for underutilized spots. This does not have to be real dynamic pricing that changes all the time. A few simple changes would do the trick.

Charge more for metered parking and surface lots.

Metered on-street parking should not be free until 9pm

Charge less for the least utilized space – already doing this with some of the metered spaces on the edge of the downtown district, which go for 0.80 an hour. I would love to see different rates for different structures. I am pretty sure folks would continue to fill up the Washington/Fourth structure at a slightly higher price. And, savvy consumers could save money by parking in the Ann structure.

Keep a few odd pricing schemes – the set price after 3pm (Tally Hall pricing scheme) or the $4 daily price for the lot across from the Y. These serve a useful purpose.