The city of Phoenix has installed 58 parking meters between Roosevelt and Garfield along First, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth streets.
The meters were installed at the request of the Roosevelt Row Merchants Association, to curb the parking space being used for non-commercial purposes.
One business-owning member of the association, Greg Centrone, speculated the meters were being installed to specifically combat Arizona State University Downtown campus students parking in the formerly free spots, which could otherwise provide parking to potential customers.
“If you have students that have to go to class for six or eight hours a day, and they can’t afford what ASU charges to park then what do you do?” said Centrone, who owns Bud’s Glass Joint. “You go wherever you can find free spots.”
Centrone also said this was typical for an expanding city such as Phoenix.
“It is the progression of the city,” he said. “If you look at any other major city, you have to pay to park anywhere … It’s absolutely growing pains. That’s what all this is. People get upset about new things coming and old things going, and rightfully so sometimes.”
Driving and parking as a student at the ASU Downtown campus can be expensive, whether or not a student buys parking from the university.
“I paid to park every day,” said Emily Paris, an undergraduate student who attended the Downtown Phoenix campus. “I did the meter, and I always underpay which is probably really bad, but I knew I could always get there on time.”
Between paying for the meter and an occasional parking ticket, costs can add up.
“I’ve gotten probably four tickets that were $50 each, and it adds up quickly,” Paris said. “I already pay at least $36 a week.”
A typical college semester is 15 weeks, so that works out to $540 to park for a semester. The four additional $50 tickets for underpaying brings that to $740. A yearly permit for students at the downtown campus can cost as much as $780.
“They knew when they were putting the campus down there that there were a lot of offices and businesses that are going to use the same parking as everyone else.”
ASU does offer intercampus shuttles that students can use to commute between all the campuses. Students commuting between the Tempe and Downtown campuses can also use the light rail.
“ASU needs to use some of the money that we give them for tuition,” Paris said. “Not everyone can take public transportation, and some people do commute from different campuses to downtown.”
The Downtown Phoenix campus of ASU has a few small lots which offer parking for as little as $2 a day, but space is very limited. To park for several hours at the nearby University Center Parking structure costs $15 dollars for over four hours.
To park like Paris did, for two days in a week, would cost at least $30 a week- a minimum of $450 per semester.
Contact the reporter at Dylan.Simard@asu.edu.
