One item brought before the city council in the most recent monthly meeting was an initial proposal/recommendation for metered parking during the tourist season here in Bayfield.
The only evidence and citation for this being a recent article regarding how well parking meters are serving the city of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The biggest red flag on this article is the disparity between Bayfield and Lake Geneva. Bayfield population is 497 while Lake Geneva population is 7,710. Basic math, for those who attended public school, will show that Lake Geneva is significantly larger than Bayfield.
The local resident who put forward this suggestion while I’m certain is well intentioned, doesn’t appear to have taken into account some basic issues. He did raise some of the implementation issues at the City Council Meeting. Ie: Need for parking kiosks; need for parking space designation; city/county resident exemption sticker exemptions; Senior Citizen discount.
This is certainly not a project that is going to be implemented without a great deal of additional study.
How many identifiable parking spaces does Bayfield current have?
Based on current parking spaces what is the anticipated revenue?
Will there be a requirement for additional designation of parking spaces?
What will be the city’s initial required investment?
What will be the return on the city's investment. (ROI)?
Will the city study comparative sized cities?
Has or will the city ask other local cities why or why not they have or don’t have parking meters? (Washburn, Wisconsin and Ashland, Wisconsin for example.)
While by no means an exhaustive search, the following are a couple of articles on the issue for your reading pleasure.
Why Parking Meters Should be Outlawed
Will parking meters kill your downtown?
Your comments are encouraged and welcome.