A parking consultant has told Havre de Grace City Council in Maryland, US, that their parking problem is not a shortage of spaces, but that too many short-term spaces are being used by long-term parkers.
The study essentially concludes that the city does not enforce appropriately its parking ordinances, and suggests that the city commence doing so immediately. The consultant recommends that the city should focus on issuing warnings to first-time offenders and issue steep fines to drivers after the third warning.
The study was commissioned to analyse parking in the downtown area as part of a greater economic feasibility plan being carried out by the city, in collaboration with the Havre de Grace Main Street organisation. It involved hourly checks of about 1,000 spaces, both on- and off-street, during weekday hours.