More than 30 parking meters to be installed

TULSA - The city of Tulsa just began the process of installing more than 30 extra parking meters downtown. And some businesses aren't happy to see them outside their doors.

Some city leaders think parking meters will increase turnover at downtown businesses. But many business owners think it will do just the opposite.

"I have had people come down and they say, we circled the building three times... they're a little frustrated when they first come in," said Mary Beth Babcock, the owner of Dwelling Spaces downtown in the Blue Dome District.

"As a business owner, of course if there was free parking I think it would encourage more people," she said. "I think a lot of people come down to eat at the restaurants, come to the businesses, and it seems that that is something that kind of keeps them away."

Mark Brown is the traffic operations manager with public works for the City of Tulsa. He says the city hopes to have 33 new parking meters installed downtown by October. Many of them will be on Detroit Ave.
"While revenue is important, our primary concern with the city is ensuring turnover for the businesses downtown so that they thrive," Brown said.

He says the new meters are more efficent than the old ones.
"You put one multi-space meter serving ten spaces, versus a single space meter serving one space. So you've got one collection point versus 10, you've got one maintenance point versus 10."

The city hired two more people to enforce the parking meters. Once they're in place, officials will decide if they need to add more, or even eliminate some of the older meters.
"The revenue that comes in to these meters is important, because it sustains the operation as it is. And we want the operation to be sound," Brown said.

Downtown business owners realize the meters may be here to stay.
"It's kind of a necessary evil. I guess it's a source of revenue for our city that needs it pretty bad right now too," said Matt Leland, the general manager of Yokozuna, a restaurant downtown.