>> Related: Dayton evaluating downtown parking
In an interview yesterday, Major Wendy Stiver of the Dayton Police Department spoke to this newspaper and said “we really want to encourage people to come downtown and visit us during the holidays. There’s alot going on down here.”
>> Related: ‘Tis the season for tons of great holiday events
She also said “we also want to encourage people to hide their valuables, lock their cars and help us keep them safe during this holiday season.”
She acknowledged this event is a result of the parking study done earlier this year by the city. Major Stiver said since the program began last week, they have given out “at least 50” warning cards already. There is no word yet if a similar warning card event will occur beyond the holidays. The city plans to hand out warnings for a few more days. Again, the days are randomly selected.
>> Related: Dayton looks at downtown parking changes
It seems the city is taking the advice of local business owners and the consulting firm they hired earlier this year to investigate the city’s parking situation. In September, this paper looked into a recent parking study conducted by the city.
The study found that generally, people are happy with the parking, they say the number of parking meters in the city is sufficient. However, a small group of survey respondents called the current parking enforcement situation “unreasonable and inconsistent.”
Andrew Miller, who was working on the consulting team, recommended that the city issue warnings for first time offenders instead of jumping straight to a fine. Local business owners were asked their opinion about the parking situation, with one of them recommending enforcement officers to provide information about other parking opportunities within the city.
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