By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Businesses along Fourth Avenue are pushing back against recent parking meter changes, claiming extended hours and higher costs have driven away customers.
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A petition calling on the city to reverse the changes had nearly 1,000 signatures as of Thursday, Aug. 13.
The petition asks the city to return meters to their original schedule — 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday — and to explore alternative solutions such as increasing the number of parking spots or setting aside spaces for employees.
Tobias Hodges, an employee at PopCycle, said customers raise the issue daily.
“Now, with the extended hours and Saturday not being free, and most of the meters are broken, and you have to install an app, and all of these things make it incredibly frustrating for people who are trying to come and visit Fourth Avenue,” Hodges said.
Parking meter changes went into effect July 1, with extended hours from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends, and now include Saturdays.
Hodges said the business has felt the impact.
“We get people coming in every single day and asking us about it, and you know, we’re like sorry there isn’t anything we can do about it, and so we’re like well maybe there is,” Hodges said.
City, business owners disagree on consultation
Shelly and Lindy Reilly, owners of Lindy’s on 4th, said their dinner and happy hour business has declined since the new hours took effect. They also said the city did not consult with businesses before making the change.
Brandon George, Park Tucson Transportation Administrator, said the city did engage with the community and reduced its originally proposed meter hours from 10 p.m. to 7 p.m. based on that feedback.
Lindy Reilly disputed that characterization.
“None of us wanted this; we’ve never ever tried to compromise for 7 p.m. — that’s ridiculous,” Reilly said.
Shelly Reilly pointed to existing parking infrastructure in the area.
“Just take a quick look downtown; there are parking options everywhere, there’s lots, there’s garages. Drive down 4th Avenue; you’re literally on side streets,” she said.
City cites broken meters, revenue needs
George said there are 400 to 500 broken parking meters across Tucson and that the city lacks the resources to repair them all.
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“We do not have the money as of right now to fix every meter, to upgrade every parking issue in the city of Tucson,” George said. “This additional revenue will help us be able to fill some of these major projects.”
In a statement sent to 13 News, Ward 6 Council Member Miranda Schubert said she takes businesses’ concerns seriously, but that these changes were not an overnight decision.
Schubert said parking revenue is reinvested into the system to replace damaged meters, fund security and maintenance in garages and surface lots, and support parking technologies and Park Tucson staff.
She said she does not dismiss what businesses are experiencing but urged caution in attributing summer business declines solely to the parking change.
“The responsible thing to do is give this compromise a chance to work, look at actual data on parking turnover, occupancy and business impacts, continue addressing employee parking needs, and make adjustments if the evidence tells us they’re needed — not roll the entire policy back just weeks after implementation,” Schubert wrote.
Shelly Reilly said the financial pressure on businesses is mounting.
“We don’t want to leave Fourth Avenue, but they’re making it harder and harder to stay, or even survive,” she said.
Park Tucson said it is currently working on options to increase employee parking on Fourth Avenue and expects to have solutions in the coming months.
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