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May 02, 2023

Could changes to Downtown Royal Oak’s parking system bring back more visitors?

Hank Winchester, Consumer Investigative Reporter Kayla Clarke, Senior Web

Hank Winchester, Consumer Investigative Reporter

Kayla Clarke, Senior Web Producer

ROYAL OAK, Mich. – The parking situation in Downtown Royal Oak has frustrated residents, business owners and visitors since the city updated it.

The city commissioned a study that found something needs to change. More than a year ago the city installed new meters that require drivers to back in when parking.

Previous: Royal Oak seeking ways to make parking easier for residents, visitors

Business owners in the area said they are losing customers and they believe it's because nobody wants to deal with the parking situation. Some business owners have even closed up shop and moved.

The consultants who conducted the study said some of the biggest issues were the time limits. Around 85% of tickets issued were violations of the five-minute grace period. Those tickets were averaging around 25,000 a month.

They suggested changing that grace period from five minutes to 15 minutes and increasing the overall time limit from two hours to three hours.

The city will not be making any changes until it hears from the public next week. If they do decide to roll out changes it likely won't come until later this year.

Will changes be enough to bring people back to Downtown Royal Oak?

Read: How a new parking system in part of Downtown Royal Oak is causing frustration for drivers

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