A number of curbs throughout downtown Shreveport are being painted an eye-catching green and ‘Pay by App’ stencils will soon follow to remind motorists that all on-street spaces downtown require payment. The Parkmobile Parking App has become very popular since it was introduced downtown a year-and-a-half ago; it is the same app used in Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and numerous other cities. Once downloaded and set up, the app allows the user to input up to five different cars and gives a maximum of three hours per space. It also has a countdown clock so the user should be able to avoid parking tickets for staying in the space too long.
Downtown on-street spaces require payment whether there is a meter at the space or not. Parkmobile signage was installed when the app launched here in 2017 but in spaces where there are no or few meters there was still some confusion about the need to pay. In many of those areas, the green curb and stencils will be another indicator that all on street spaces require payment.
“We have seen a high rate of meter loss downtown,” says ShrevePark Parking Manager Lorenzo Lee. “The meters are old and unsupported by the manufacturer and if they are broken, they become inoperable. A number have also been damaged in traffic accidents or stolen over time, and as a result, we have a number of spaces downtown with no physical meter.” ShrevePark will be replacing some of the meters in high traffic areas, but other parts of downtown will be app-only parking.
“For the last 18 months, we have been converting tickets issued in pay-by-app only spaces into warnings for first-time offenders,” says Lee. ‘But once the green curbs are completed, we will no longer convert to warnings.”
Says Lee, “We are encouraging everyone to go to their online app store and download the Parkmobile app, which is a free download. We are happy to help in assist in the set-up if needed. With Parkmobile, you can park in almost any on-street space knowing that you are covered.”
Curbs will only be painted green in those areas with no parking meters or only very sporadic meters as a visual indicator of the need to pay. It is important to remember that all unmetered spaces, whether they have green-painted curbs or not, are pay spaces.
“We believe the green curbs will help us finalize the transition,” says Lee. “We have signs, we have converted hundreds of tickets to warnings, this is one additional way to alert the parking public!”
Weather-permitting, the project should be completed in a couple of weeks.
