Despite the efforts of some merchants to stop or delay
implementation, the new metered parking system in the Ellicott City historic
district is ready to launch, as planned, on January 1st. A couple of
weeks ago I ran into Steve Lafferty at the Wine Bin and he told me you can already
download the Parker app for your smartphone or tablet. Steve has been the county’s
point guy on this project, which hasn't always been fun.
Spaced at intervals along Main Street , new pay stations have been
installed, covered by black garbage bags awaiting their 2013 debut. All parking
spaces are now numbered and the ones along Main Street have been clearly defined
with fresh lines and markings, an improvement that has already helped the
parking situation.
Some historic district residents are lobbying county
officials to establish some sort of residential permit program and there is
meeting on November 27th with county officials to discuss that and
other areas of concern. Other residents are exploring alternative parking strategies.
I’m not sure what a residential permit program would look like
but I’d hope it would make more sense than these permitted spaces on Church Street .
