Parking meters near BYU campus?

PROVO — Brigham Young University students who commute to campus might not be able to find parking in the surrounding residential neighborhoods in 2008.

Student cars now line those streets, but Provo is conducting a study to see if the streets should instead have parking meters and a parking permit program.

The Provo City Council asked Tuesday night for expansion of the study to include other neighborhoods around campus.

"If we just limited the program to the Joaquin neighborhood south of campus, we'd just be encouraging students to cross 9th East and park in those neighborhoods," Councilwoman Cynthia Dayton said. "We want it to be a large enough cloud of area to cover the need."

Parking meters might be a long shot, but they are being considered. Mayor Lewis Billings said many successful parking programs already studied by a city committee include meters as part of an overall concept.

City Council Chairman George Stewart envisions a parking meter system without the nuisance of pocket change: Students and others could buy cards to swipe at a station when they entered and exited the metered area.

They would be charged for the elapsed time.

"Parking meters on 8th North, I think, would be fine," Stewart said. "If someone wants to park that close to campus, they could pay for it."

The city has given each of the seven council members a copy of a Wall Street Journal article about cities where parking meters charge more for the best spots. London has meters that charge as much as $10 an hour. San Francisco is testing a system that would charge more during peak parking hours.

Even if meters pass muster in Provo, parking permits are the likeliest solution for most of the area surrounding campus.

That area initially was a large block to the south of campus, from 800 North down to Center Street and between University Avenue and 900 East.

Provo already has seen success with a parking permit program for two streets north of campus, across University Parkway from the Marriott Center.

Anyone can park in front of about 25 homes on Lambert Lane and 500 East, but only for two hours between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Otherwise, a residential permit is required.

Residents have guest permits to give to friends or for service vehicles.

Parking meters or permits won't appear without public hearings.