Parking-permit plan is advancing in Provo

PROVO — A proposed parking permit program, which City Council members say will ease traffic congestion south of BYU, advanced Tuesday night while students and local landlords say the plan will create more problems.

Provo City Council members voted unanimously to proceed with an ordinance that would enact a permit parking area in the North Joaquin neighborhood between University Avenue and 900 East and from the southern border of BYU at 800 North to 500 North. Parking has been a perennial issue for residents in that area, City Council member George Stewart said, and a permit program would alleviate congestion and have other benefits.

"For safety reasons, we want to make sure there's an adequate amount of parking spaces on-street and off-street," he said Tuesday night. "I just have a hard time seeing the negative."

But several students and local landowners had a few to share with the council. BYU senior Justin Hicken, who's majoring in finance and Russian, said he doesn't see how a parking program that restricts parking from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. will clear the crowded streets.

"I really don't see any direct effect," he said. "It just seems as an opportunity to charge a small extra fee from the tenants that live there."

Hicken also said he used to dislike vegetables as a child, so he would stir them around to make it look like he was clearing his plate. He then drew an analogy between his childhood behavior and the City Council's actions.

"It seems to me that's what we're doing with this parking program," he said.

BYU junior Eric Callison, a music composition major, echoed previous concerns that the real problem is landlords are "over-renting" their units. He said he knows of some houses with 10 to 12 people living there.

"Is the city able to do anything to regulate the renters?" he asked.

Stewart said the council is aware that there aren't enough parking spaces for all the beds in the Joaquin neighborhood under the current renter dwelling licensing. He said proportionately distributing permits for 110 percent of the total on-street parking spaces will encourage landlords to get in line with current standards.

"This applies additional pressure (to landlords)," he said.