ROYAL OAK, Mich. – After years of complaints, paying for parking in Royal Oak could look different.
The city hopes to approve a new agreement with Flowbird and ParkMobile for parking pay stations and mobile applications.
That decision could come Monday night at the city commission meeting.
The city anticipates installing approximately 150 Flowbird pay stations throughout both on-street and off-street parking locations.
Drivers welcome any change.
“It’s a mess,” one person said about parking in Royal Oak. “There’s a lot of street parking, and you can’t really fit a lot of places, so it’s a little bit frustrating trying to find a spot.”
Parking problems in Royal Oak have been festering for years. Some drivers say the parking structures are too far away, while others complain about backup parking on Washington Street.
And then, there’s the parking meters.
“Whenever we do go out to eat as a family, I’m constantly looking at the app like, oh my gosh, I have to be on top of it,” a woman said. So, I want to make sure I don’t get a ticket.”
In 2021, the city partnered with Municipal Parking Services, and the company uses the Sentry Mobil parking system.
Instead of parking enforcement officers, cameras take pictures of license plate numbers and tickets are mailed to violators.
But glitches have resulted in thousands of incorrect tickets.
“Like for instance, I got a ticket, like, two weeks ago, and it’s kind of hard because the meters sometimes it won’t tell you how much time is left, so that can be very difficult, but it’s just kind of up and down for sure.”
Last year, the city sued MPS, claiming a breach of contract related to the glitches.
While the case was settled, Royal Oak is looking for a new operator.
The current contract expires at the end of the year, 15 months earlier than originally planned.
City commissioners will vote July 14 on an issue that has frustrated drivers for years.
“Just make it easier. We live in Royal Oak; we love Royal Oak,” a woman said when asked about the issue. “We actually would come down here and visit Royal Oak before we moved here. Just make it easier, more accessible.”
Royal Oak says they’re looking at a pay station concept similar to Detroit’s, which would include a mobile/text-to-pay app.
If the plan is approved, the city wants to hear from you, and future recommendations for enforcement, garage systems, and parking system operators will follow.