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Phoenix proposes removing a Central Avenue northbound lane to add 17 metered parking spaces, city says
Summary
City of Phoenix staff presented a plan to remove one northbound travel lane on Central Avenue between Washington Street and Monroe Street and add 17 metered parking spaces; a traffic study presented at the July 14 virtual meeting found no change to signalized-intersection level of service, and the public comment period runs through July 24.
John Treeweiler, the City of Phoenix senior public information officer, opened a July 14 virtual public meeting on a proposal to reconfigure a short stretch of Central Avenue in downtown Phoenix to add on-street parking.
Matt Wilson, assistant street transportation director, said the Street Transportation Department launched the study after nearby businesses requested additional short-term parking to better serve customers. "We agreed to conduct a traffic study to evaluate the potential impacts of removing a travel lane to create additional parking," Wilson said.
Simon Ramos, traffic engineering supervisor, described the limits of the project as Central Avenue from Washington Street to Monroe Street — about 750 feet — and said the proposal would remove one northbound travel lane and add 17 metered parking spaces grouped in clusters along the east side of the corridor. Ramos said the team used a standard level-of-service (LOS) traffic model and tested current conditions and a future-growth scenario.
"The intersections will operate just as smoothly as they do today," Ramos said, reporting that the study found "no changes to level of service at the signalized intersections" under the proposed configuration.
Why it matters: City staff said the change is intended to support nearby shops and services by creating more short-term parking for quick visits, while maintaining traffic operations. Matt Wilson told attendees that staff had consulted with Downtown Phoenix Inc. and the Phoenix Police Department and that neither organization expressed concerns about the proposal.
Questions from the public focused on the limits of the proposed lane removal and on safety and streetscape trade-offs. Nicole Sanderson, a registered participant, asked why the proposed changes stop at Monroe and whether traffic volumes north of Monroe might justify removing the third lane there as well. Ramos responded that counts on the stretch just north of Monroe were about 350 vehicles during the peak hour and that morning peak counts were just under 200 vehicles per hour. Wilson added that north of Monroe the curb lane becomes a right-turn-only lane onto Van Buren and is used for Valley Metro rapid and express bus pickups, which influenced the decision not to extend metered parking farther north.
Supporters and safety advocates also spoke. Jamie Trufen, a nearby property owner, said on-street parking helps slow traffic and supports downtown residents and businesses but asked the city to consider adding street trees even if it costs one or two parking spaces. Trufen cited a scooter collision at Central and Adams on April 20, 2025, as a reason to prioritize pedestrian safety.
A chat question from Samantha Matthews asked why metered spaces were proposed if the request came from businesses for deliveries; Wilson said the primary purpose was customer parking rather than loading zones and noted meters would remain operational until about 10 p.m., after which parking would be unmetered.
Next steps: The public comment period is open from July 14 through July 24; proposed seal coat and striping are planned for late summer and meter installation in early fall. Materials and plan sheets are posted at phoenix.gov/centralavenue, and staff encouraged people to submit comments via the project page.
