FAYETTEVILLE — By the end of summer, motorists are likely to be charged to park in the most convenient spots around the Dickson Street entertainment district.
But for anyone willing to walk a bit, free spaces can be found, city officials said Thursday.
“We’re talking lots of free parking, still less than five blocks away,” Terry Gulley, Fayetteville transportation director, told University of Arkansas student Tony Cosgrove at a public meeting Thursday afternoon to discuss the plan.
The Fayetteville Public Library garage has more than 200 free spaces. And metered city lots at the corner of North Church Avenue and Meadow Street are free after 6 p.m., offering more than 160 spaces.
Still, Cosgrove said most students resent the idea of paid parking closer to Dickson.
The City Council has indicated support for development of a paid parking plan for Dickson Street but will ultimately have a vote on the specific plan brought forward by Mayor Lioneld Jordan’s administration.
“Virtually all students are against this,” Cosgrove said. “They believe this will create drunk driving.”
Many students and others like to drive down and enjoy the Dickson Street nightlife. Some, after consuming alcohol, would rather not drive at the end of the night, he said. The city’s plan, Cosgrove reasoned, will encourage those people to drive after leaving Dickson Street rather than risk getting a parking ticket the next day.
“It really does boil down to a health and safety issue,” Cosgrove said.
In the parking proposal put forward by the city, no fees would be charged from 2 a.m. to 10 a.m.
“We don’t want to encourage someone to drive home if they need a ride,” said Sharon Crosson, Fayetteville’s parking and telecommunications manager.
Cosgrove said drinkers leaving their cars overnight should be given until mid-afternoon to retrieve them.
“If they need until 3 p.m. to sober up, then they need to be in the hospital,” Crosson said flatly.
Another parking concern is how to address the many employees who work in Dickson Street bars and restaurants. One proposal batted around would allow employees to park in designated sites at a 90 percent discount or offering a shuttle service from the Harmon Street garage or the Central United Methodist Church garage, where employees could park free of charge.
“I think we should give them some discounts,” said Julie Sill, part-owner of Hog Haus Brewing Co. and Common Grounds.
Cost continued to come up at the meeting. Cosgrove described students as “financially challenged” and said paid parking would translate to another tax they have shoulder. Parking rates are proposed at 50 cents per hour during the day and $1 per hour at night with a maximum of $5 per day.
“If you don’t have two or three dollars, then you shouldn’t be going out,” Sill told Cosgrove.
Cosgrove also said city government has been disingenuous in not doing a good enough job including the UA student government in drafting the parking plans, while at the same time courting students heavily when it comes to counting them in the U.S. Census.
“Students need to be at the table on this issue,” he said.