Update as of 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.
The City of Loveland will pilot a 90-day parking meter program in Downtown Loveland March 22 - June 17, 2021, in collaboration with meter equipment provider IPSGroup, Inc. and mobile app provider ParkMobile.
“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.
“The popularity of Downtown Loveland and growth in the Loveland area has increased traffic and parking issues,” commented Loveland Police Chief Sean Rahe. “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. 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,” explained Kennedy.
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) 707-1437 or by email to info@lovelandoh.gov. To view a current map of the city’s parking, please click here.
Additional Information:
- One of the potential results from the pilot study is whether creating a quicker turn-over of the limited number of on-street parking spaces along West Loveland could benefit restaurants and retail stores.
- The parking meter pilot program represents less than 10% of all public parking spaces in Downtown Loveland.
- There are 535 public parking spaces in Downtown Loveland, not including the temporary lots put in place last year on First Street and Railroad Avenue near City Hall.
- Of the 535 spaces, there are 147 on-street parking spaces and only 13 on-street meters will be installed.
- Of the remaining 388 off-street public parking spaces, a total of 42 spaces will be metered via a kiosk at City Hall.
- The meter equipment provider (IPSGroup, Inc) is installing the meter equipment and the kiosk at no expense to the city.
- The city is covering the cost of the poles and the concrete base for the kiosk.
- All revenue received during the pilot program remains with the city.
- The pilot program is scheduled to run for 90 days.
Fact Sheet:
Click here to download.