Six Minutes

April 17, 2009
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Six Minutes from The Handicammers on Vimeo.

Can a bag of nickels make a difference? A simple parking ticket inspires a movement that aims to give others six extra minutes at the meter, saving them from violations of their own and allowing them to spend more time in downtown Royal Oak in the struggling Michigan economy.

This article brought to you by the good folks at Urbane Hotels Royal Oak Michigan, Urbane Hotels Southfield Michigan, Urbane Hotels Troy Michigan, and Urbane Hotels Detroit Michigan.

MattDibble

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This entry was posted on April 17, 2009 at 9:37 am and is filed under Neighborhoods. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

  • http://www.midwestguest.com DominiqueKing

    As someone who does the 10 a.m. “parking lot shuffle” most Thursday mornings at the lot in back of the Leaf & Bean (interrupting a meet with friends to go out and feed the little parking meter beasties), I’m giving y’all a standing ovation on this one.

  • http://www.midwestguest.com DominiqueKing

    Look what I just found in the Freep. Rochester considers free parking at meters through summer to see if it encourages shopping downtown…and could eventually consider getting rid of meters according to the article.

    http://freep.com/article/20090417/NEWS03/904170498

  • JMills and Matt Dibble

    Thanks for the comments, Dominique! It seems as though everyone’s got a story about being nailed by the Gestapo a time or two… feel free to share!
    That seems like a very forward thinking decision for a community in Michigan that gets a lot of in and out of town traffic with great shops, good food and a good nightlife. And it sounds so familiar, but I just… can’t… put my finger on it.

  • http://urbaneapts.com Eric Brown

    Matt and Justin, Outstanding job you guys, Welcome to the UrbaneBlog.com staff

    Lets hope we all get some attention of some folks at the City and can affect change. I have forward an email and link to the video to every Royal Oak Commissioner and the two folks at the Downtown Development Authority. Hopefully, they care enough to stop by and comment,

  • Meaghan Nichol

    Great video guys!!!!
    I can’t even count the number of times I have run around trying to scrounge up some change for the meter in RO while sitting in front of one that read 0:00 min … I cringe every time I see one of those “damn meter maids”. I’ve had the discussion multiple times with friends and we all seem to wonder, how could FREE PARKING hurt?! More people would and sit down for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and MAYBE stop in one of the little stores they’ve never been in…but NOT while their meter is ticking!

  • http://www.laferle.com Cindy La Ferle

    Funny thing, I was downtown this week with friends — twice — and both times the conversation touched on the horrific parking situation and our FEROCIOUS parking meter police!

    Friends from other communities tell me they think twice about spending time downtown in Royal Oak — because the parking meter madness is legendary! Honestly, every time you look around downtown, another poor sucker is getting a parking ticket because time on the meter ran out. How welcoming is that?!?? Come on down to Royal Oak and splurge on a parking ticket, folks!!

    When I go downtown to get my haircut (on Washington), I always RUN back to my meter and head home after my hair appointment. My deepest fear is that the meter will run out while my hair is being styled … I can never predict how long it will take. I rarely have enough quarters to leftover. Otherwise, you can bet I would spend more time in nearby shops … too bad for business downtown! I could go on and on….

  • http://jamiefavreau.wordpress.com Jamie Favreau

    Great post!! I loved your video!
    I tend to put too much money in the meter and then when I know I am going to be downtown for any length of time I park in the parking garage.

  • http://www.searchengineguide.com/eric-brown/ Eric Brown

    Some great comments going here, please help us distribute the message, the more comments, the more impact.

    I did here back so far form one Royal Oak Commissioner, Gary Lelito via email.

    Here is a copy of the email he left, with his phone number. I will be contacting him Monday to see how we can move the needle along to spur some movement,

    I am not running for City Commission in 2009. I have decided not run that being said, I am still interested in promoting my plan even after I leave office.

    Plan
    1) not limiting liquor establishments based on population (old law needs to be changed). I do like smaller non-chain type restaurants (bistro type) in our downtown, but wouldn’t reject chain type restaurants.
    2) Allow for quicker turn around in opening a new business in Royal Oak. I have heard it can take up to 6 months (I believe this is too long).
    3) Allow and encourage further development in the downtown and throughout Royal Oak – do not put limitations on the types of business. Encourage entrepreneurship – Creative Businesses that attract new customers to the downtown.
    4) Free Parking on certain weeks or days – Work with DDA to promote (need a funding mechanism).

    I do believe it needs a movement.

    Movement – People that have moved to Royal Oak with-in the last 10 years or people that have lived here longer if they like the downtown thriving and ever changing

    Non Movement types – anti-downtown folk that want it the way it was in 1950.

    Thank you,

    Gary

  • Brandon

    Great job with this video, guys. I hear from so many people how they love Royal Oak but hate the Parking Gestapo. They’re too ruthlessly efficient — and it’s clear that it’s a short-term revenue source for the City that is short-sighted. Sure, you’ll get your (what is it now, $7?), but you might lose a consumer who wanted to go buy something in a local store after lunch, after getting your hair done, whatever. It’s an anti-visitor, anti-resident policy that is arrogantly imposed by our out of touch City leadership.

  • JMills and Matt Dibble

    Meaghan, thanks for the supportive words. I think you’re in the majority that you and friends and friends of friends have all been hit… and what’s the opportunity lost? It’s gotta be huge when you think about people not only going back to their vehicles and leaving, but the WORRY that accompanies a trip to Royal Oak to deal with the Parking GESTAPO!

    Thanks for your two cents Jamie… we hit up a spot yesterday and there was an hour and a half in the meter and Justin made the comment “look at how afraid people are… they just throw money away for fear of getting a ticket.” I don’t blame you, the Gestapo is a bunch of chicken hawks… huntin for a chicken.

    Thanks for the heads up, Eric… what can Gary do now that he’s not running for Commission? I’m interested to hear how he’s going to carry out “his plan.”

    Brandon – There’s not much we can say to improve on your comment… you know the city and you know the situation… thanks for stopping by. You want to go out and feed some meters with us next weekend?

    Royal Oak… do you see what’s going on? Would you please open your eyes? The tickets are driving away customers, they are driving away businesses, they are driving away dollars. Stop with the petty business of handing out $8 tickets to people who are in a parking spot you deem to be “illegal.”

  • Kerp

    Great video guys. I’m wondering to myself, is the 8 bucks really worth it? First, you’ve got to pay somebody to walk around town writing these things….Second, how many people actually pay them? I’m guessing a lot of people pitch them and forget about it out of spite….Thirdly, you’re driving business and potential customers away, really!?

    How much revenue are the parking meters adding to Royal Oak’s bottom line? If it is vitally important to the survival of the city why not create that revenue in a different area? One that is more “friendly” to the people? Maybe you add a small % to vehicle registration, or to garbage collection, or property tax. You know something that the people aren’t going to notice? Just a thought? I know when I get parking ticket I’m not thinking about how my $8 is going to help the city of Royal Oak, I’m just pissed.

  • http://urbaneapts.com Eric Brown

    Hats off to Royal Oak Commissioner, Gary Lelito, he did respond over at our friends at the Royal Oak Sound Off where I started a thread yesterday, You can check it our here http://www.royaloaksoundoff.com/Thread_1045.aspx

  • JMills and Matt Dibble

    Thanks for the early support, Gary.
    If we can help in ANY way, other than, ya know, getting people riled up :-) please let us know.

  • http://urbaneapts.com Eric Brown

    We have heard from a 2nd Royal Oak Commissioner over at teh Royal oak Sound Off; http://www.royaloaksoundoff.com/Thread_1045.aspx

    “With all due respect to my esteemed colleague, Gary Lelito is absolutely correct that it takes four votes to pass a policy or initiative at the Commission table. But, the fact of the matter is that it only takes one Commissioner to add it to the Commission agenda as a discussion item.

    If Commissioner Lelito feels strongly about this concept, he has the ability to place it on a future agenda for discussion or action purposes.

    Any good public policy should be able to withstand the scrutiny of public discussion, public imput and public debate.

    I look forward to Commissioner Lelito spearheading this item”

    Stephen Miller
    ROCC

  • http://www.positivecities.com Positive E, Erin Rose

    Eric Brown and I were enjoying a nice lunch on the patio of Pronto this past Thursday when the topic of conversation abruptly shifted gears when I “eye spied” the RO parking po-po strolling down the street towards my expired meter. Fortunately, he turned and walked across Washington in the opposite direction of my car. A very close call indeed. I give your video a standing ovation and hope this sends a very loud, poignant message to the RO City Council. The biggest scam of them all is the 2 hour limit meters that are conveniently located at the farthest ends of downtown. While you are on this video kick, would you mind driving about a mile south and do the same with Ferndale? I have plenty of parking tickets you can choose from along with a letter I received in the mail last week adding an additional $22 penalty to each $20 parking fine. Mind you, I pay close to $5000 a year in property taxes along with spending much of my free time frequenting local watering holes, eating establishments, and Taco Bells within city limits.

  • Brandon

    The tickets in themselves wouldn’t be sooooo bad — it’s not about being random and for deterrence, though. It’s a near certainty that you will get a ticket as they have SOOOOO many meter maids and, according to comments on my “Parking Gestapo” post, these folks have quotas for giving the tickets and no discretion. GRRRR.

  • http://www.thenightmove.com Jennifer

    Sweet video. Many are the times I have planned to stop at the Bean & Leaf or Barnes & Noble but then decided against it for a lack of change. Parking meters really do impede the patronage of Royal Oak businesses — and they’re just a pain in the ass. Should we get a formal petition going?

  • JMills and Matt Dibble

    Erin, that sucks. Thanks for sharing your story.

    We’ll know where to find you when Jennifer starts her formal petition :-)

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  • http://djmeph.net Norman Witte III

    I used to go to the Royal Oak post office almost every week to get money orders made and send bills out. One time I came back and had a ticket on my car. I looked on the ticket and saw that it has been written for the parking space next to where mine was parked. I still had time on my meter and everything. I was upset, but at the time I felt it was worth the $8 not to have to fight it and drag it through court and all of that. Even though I took a picture of my car behind its meter, I still realized it would just be my word against theirs. I hope Royal Oak will consider changing their policies on parking, but I’m not holding my breath. After that happened, I stopped going to the Royal Oak post office and used a different post office instead. Now, if you will all excuse me, I have go pay another Royal Oak parking ticket.

  • Joey D

    Say what you want about living out in the sticks. But, I can park wherever the hell I want. That’s one of the only things I don’t miss about East Lansing. By the way, was that the sad music from Platoon? Nicely done.

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