Big Changes Could Be Coming to Downtown Lansing Parking

I'm sure we've all dealt with the annoying chaos that is parking in Downtown Lansing.

Why Parking in Downtown Lansing Feels So Frustrating

If you haven't, basically the vibes can be summed up in one word: bad.

You find a parking spot (if you can), navigate using the weird parking meters or an app to pay, and then hope that you have enough time to run your errand before your car gets ticketed.

Well, some of that might be changing...

What Changes Have Been Approved So Far

The City of Lansing is looking improve street parking and encourage more use of the parking ramps around town. So, in an effort to make those improvements, Lansing City Council members have approved two new changes:

1. Beginning paid parking at 9 am instead of 8 am (an extra hour of free parking)
2. Offering reduced fines for people who pay tickets quickly

When These Changes Could Take Effect

However, before these changes can be implemented, they still have to go through public hearings, which are set for April 20. If you feel strongly about these changes either way, it might be worth going to the meeting to voice your opinion.

Other changes that Lansing City Council considered but did not go with were raising fees for full-day on-street parking (encouraging those people to park in a ramp for less money) and adding a $10 fee to expired meter violations.

READ ALSO: These are the 10 Most Dangerous Intersections in Ingham County

However, I think there's a change that could be made that hasn't been considered, and that's not charging us to use the app that we have to use to pay for parking. When my fee to use the app is just as much as it costs me to pay to park... that's a real deterrent.

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Whatever changes come to parking for Downtown Lansing, I hope they're an improvement for drivers and business owners alike.