By james art 
WINSTON-SALEM, NC (WGHP) — The City of Winston-Salem is considering a new pay rate and a new way to pay for your downtown spot.
The city says the current meters have to go, and the replacement is an app on your smartphone. Under the proposal, all on-street parking spaces downtown would have to be paid for via a mobile app, and it would cost you a dollar more per hour.
“I don’t think it’s going in the right direction long-term,” said Jan Wharton, who lives in Winston-Salem.
He often walks downtown. If she has to park, she says she doesn’t mind paying, but worries it’s not that easy for everyone.
“I think it’s too much to increase all at once and it’s just going to continue to hurt downtown businesses,” Wharton said.
Street parking currently costs 50 cents per hour. This can be increased to $1.50. Fines will also increase from $15 to $30.
“We already have a little bit of a disconnect with people getting downtown … The biggest concern for us, I think, is that people have safe, accessible, easy, affordable parking to get to us,” said Jamie Southern, executive director of Bookmarks.
Southerners worry that some may not have the funds for a smartphone.
“I think it’s a little bit exclusive and presumptuous that we can assume that everybody has the ability to do that,” Southern said.
Others are fine with changes as technology evolves.
“It’s good. I’m used to it. They’re more expensive, so that’s a downside, but we’re used to it,” said Caroline Moxley of Pfafftown.
The city says the additional revenue will help with downtown parking projects. They hope the new price and process will increase parking availability because people can’t sit all day in a cheap spot. But most importantly, the current system is not working and they need to change it.
“We’ve gotten to the point where our equipment is so outdated and so broken … We have so many challenges just getting people to park,” said Jeff Fansler, director of transportation for the city of Winston-Salem.
It’s a problem Moxley experienced firsthand Wednesday.
“We decided to come to Foothills for lunch and we tried to park on the street but my meter broke so I put in my 50 cents and it wouldn’t take it or something,” Moxley said.
If the parking rules get anyone to change their habits, the city hopes that means biking, walking, using public transit or carpooling downtown.
“I think some people just won’t want to mess with it so they either won’t do it and park or avoid coming downtown which is too bad because I think we need to build our downtown instead of we’re chasing people,” Wharton said.
The City Council will vote on the changes at its Nov. 4 meeting. If approved, the city plans to move quickly and implement the changes by spring.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports and streaming video, go to FOX8 WGHP.