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Parked cars form a long line on Main Street in Breckenridge
Summit County CO Colorado
BRECKENRIDGE - A revamped parking plan for town streets swamped by vehicles during peak times will not include restrictions on re-parking, town manager Tim Gagen said after this week's town council work session.
"We're backing away from that," Gagen said. The town doesn't want to discourage guests from stopping for breakfast or coffee, then returning later to shop, he said. The decision was based in part on the response from an in-depth survey that included town residents, second-home owners and visitors.
Gagen emphasized that the main thrust of the plan remains to ensure a turnover of parking spots in the core commercial area, while also recognizing the need for some employee parking near businesses. The plan will also seek to protect street parking for residents in the historic district, where in some cases there is no off-street parking, Gagen said.
BRECKENRIDGE - A revamped parking plan for town streets swamped by vehicles during peak times will not include restrictions on re-parking, town manager Tim Gagen said after this week's town council work session.
"We're backing away from that," Gagen said. The town doesn't want to discourage guests from stopping for breakfast or coffee, then returning later to shop, he said. The decision was based in part on the response from an in-depth survey that included town residents, second-home owners and visitors.
Gagen emphasized that the main thrust of the plan remains to ensure a turnover of parking spots in the core commercial area, while also recognizing the need for some employee parking near businesses. The plan will also seek to protect street parking for residents in the historic district, where in some cases there is no off-street parking, Gagen said.
The town hopes to have the plan in place when the new gondola starts operating. Vail Resorts will charge for parking in the lots near the gondola terminal. The town's plan is aimed at averting a domino effect on downtown and residential streets. But that timing could be tight, Gagen said, explaining that the latest word from the ski area is that the gondola could be ready to roll early in January.
"Most of it is about signage," Gagen said. Upgrading computer systems and figuring the allocation of employee spots are other areas where the town is scrambling to meet the deadline, he said.
"There's a strong feeling we should up fines for abusers substantially," Gagen said. The first few tickets would still cost $20, but the town council is discussing fines of $100 to $300 for subsequent violations, Gagen said.
"Most of it is about signage," Gagen said. Upgrading computer systems and figuring the allocation of employee spots are other areas where the town is scrambling to meet the deadline, he said.
"There's a strong feeling we should up fines for abusers substantially," Gagen said. The first few tickets would still cost $20, but the town council is discussing fines of $100 to $300 for subsequent violations, Gagen said.
"This is going to be a work in progress," said Breckenridge Town Councilmember Jeffrey Bergeron, acknowledging that it's going to be impossible to please everyone - and that there just aren't enough spots to meet the demand at peak times.
"You know it's a good plan when everybody is ticked off," Bergeron said.
Bergeron said the council is grappling with the fact that some people working in town need to drive and park their cars nearby. Others can be more flexible, and he suggested that those people need to make a sacrifice for the benefit of the community by trying to avoid using key parking slots, at least on those critical days when demand exceeds supply.
"You know it's a good plan when everybody is ticked off," Bergeron said.
Bergeron said the council is grappling with the fact that some people working in town need to drive and park their cars nearby. Others can be more flexible, and he suggested that those people need to make a sacrifice for the benefit of the community by trying to avoid using key parking slots, at least on those critical days when demand exceeds supply.
"The people that have that flexibility need to step up and take the hit for the benefit of the community," he said, including himself in that group.
Gagen said the town is still fine-tuning the permitting system to make it user-friendly. Currently, there are 11 permit programs in place, but some of those could be consolidated under the new overall plan, according to a memo prepared for the work session by the parking committee.
Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.
Gagen said the town is still fine-tuning the permitting system to make it user-friendly. Currently, there are 11 permit programs in place, but some of those could be consolidated under the new overall plan, according to a memo prepared for the work session by the parking committee.
Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.
