LITTLE ROCK — The state’s largest airport, responding to complaints, has increased the maximum amount of time on the 36 parking meters in front of the passenger terminal.
People who use the meters at Little Rock National Airport, Adams Field can stay as long as 30 minutes now, allowing them more time to drop off or pick up passengers. The previous limit, in place since June 2009, was 20 minutes.
“This change is in response to customer comments and requests to increase the time limit on the meters,” said Ron Mathieu, the airport’s executive director.
On Friday, Sandy Middleton Marshall of Little Rock, who used one of the meters, said she didn’t mind paying for a maximum 20 minutes. She said a better option for people waiting to pick up others would be an off-site location, often called a cell-phone lot, where people can wait for free until they receive word the people they’re waiting for are ready to be picked up.
It is too soon to say whether the increase has prompted an increase in parking meter usage, said T.J. Williams, an airport spokesman.
“Trends will be better determined over a longer period of time,” she said. “The change was implemented Sept. 24.
“The most noticeable change has been very satisfied customers.”
The cost for 30 minutes is $1.50, which is the same rate as the 20-minute time limit; 25 cents buys 5 minutes.
The change was prompted by complaints filed by some members of the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission, said Kay Kelley Arnold, a commission member.
“We thought it would be better if we did it for 30 minutes,” she said.
At the monthly meeting of the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission on Wednesday, another commission member, Virgil Miller, wondered how far airport officials were willing to go.
“What if [customers] want 40 minutes?” he asked.
Mathieu said increasing the time limit beyond 30 minutes is not an option as the meters are designed for quick dropoffs or pickups. “At that point, you are beyond the intent of the meters.”
Airport officials wanted the shorter time limit to ease congestion in front of the terminal. The congestion worried the Transportation Security Administration, which is responsible for security in the terminal, airport officials said.
In the first six months of this year, the airport collected $104,084.43 from the metered parking spaces. The total amount was 51.4 percent more than the $68,741.46 the airport collected during the same period in 2009, according to airport data.
While the airport collected more, airport patrons are using the spaces less. The price per space essentially tripled, but revenue only doubled.
Meanwhile, parking tickets were averaging a little more than 300 per month at the airport earlier this year, according to the Little Rock Police Department. The number of parking tickets issued since the increase in the time limit wasn’t available late last week.
It remains to be seen how the use of the meters will change.
“It’s not expected that the extra time will result in any increase in congestion,” Williams said. “The time to watch, however will likely be the holidays when we will experience heavier travel traffic.”
Mathieu also noted that at some point in the not-too-distant future, the planned $53 million renovation of the terminal will make the parking meter issue moot.
“In the ultimate scheme of the terminal, there are no meters out front,” he said.
Arkansas, Pages 20 on 10/24/2010