Downtown merchants, residents urge city to address loss of accessible parking and confusing parking system

Several Idaho Falls residents and representatives of a newly formed downtown merchants association urged the City Council at its meeting Wednesday to address what they called a loss of accessible parking and a confusing new paid-parking system that is making it harder for customers and people with disabilities to access downtown businesses.

“Most of the handicap (spaces) have been removed,” said Casey Blair, identifying herself as a city resident. “I read through the ADA requirements, [and] I can't find anything that allows the new municipal government to do away with handicapped spots.”

Blair and other speakers said the recent reconfiguration and introduction of an app-based paid-parking system left fewer ADA-compliant spaces near downtown destinations such as the Colonial Theatre and a lack of responsive communication from the Downtown Development Corporation.

“The loading spots are always filled and who knew those were for a regular person?” said Byron, a downtown resident. He told the council he paid to park two blocks away to meet an attorney because he could not find an accessible space near his destination. “They seem to really disregard the handicapped community.”

Terry Ireland, an Idaho Falls resident who said she is the temporary acting government liaison for the new Idaho Falls Downtown Merchants Association, reported the association’s first meeting included an inventory of recurring problems: sanitation and trash service for small businesses, narrow on-street spaces that make exiting vehicles difficult for wheelchair users, unclear signage at pay stations, and inconsistent lighting across downtown sidewalks.

“We need better communication from all of the groups that use downtown,” Ireland said. She told the council the association will begin a business-by-business survey and a traffic/parking study next week and invited city staff to coordinate on the results.

Why it matters: Council members and staff noted that some complaints fall under other organizations’ authority, but they said they would take the accessibility concerns seriously and attempt to ensure ADA compliance while balancing enforcement of the new paid-parking system.

Council response and next steps

Mayor and council members acknowledged the complaints and thanked speakers for raising them in public comment. The mayor said the city would “try to make sure that we are in every way possible, compliant with ADA but also thoughtful about how this is managed.” Councilors suggested staff follow up with the Downtown Development Corporation, the merchants association and the parking vendor to clarify how handicapped parking is being handled in the new system and whether changes to curb markings or signage are needed.

Councilor comments focused on practical fixes such as repainting stall lines to prevent lane loss from unsuitable parking and improving pay-station signage. Ireland asked the city to direct residents and businesses to the new merchants email list (idahofallsdowntownmerchants@gmail.com) to facilitate follow-up.

Ending

City staff and council members said they will review the merchant association’s forthcoming parking study and the list of identified problems (sanitation/dumpster assignments, accessible stalls, signage and lighting) and report back to the council. The merchants association said it will share its survey and traffic-study results when available.