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City staff recommend two‑hour parking zone, license‑plate reader enforcement pilot for downtown Bryan
Summary
Staff presented a committee recommendation to convert a defined downtown core to two‑hour timed parking (8 a.m.–5 p.m. M–F), estimated at about 245 timed spaces after exclusions; staff proposed license‑plate reader technology for enforcement, a first‑offense fine around $35 and a public information campaign with a grace period.
Joey Dunn presented the results of a multi‑year study and a merchants’ request to establish timed parking downtown to improve storefront turnover. He described the committee’s recommendation to designate an area of Main Street and adjacent blocks as two‑hour parking (8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday) and explained the mapping exercise that produced the recommended red (timed) area and green (excluded) zones.
Dunn summarized counts from the committee’s map: the red area contains about 464 on‑street spaces; subtracting green exclusions (192) and excluding the 27 handicapped spaces yields an estimated 245 two‑hour spots in the timed area. The committee favored keeping interior blocks available for longer‑term employee parking and focusing timed restrictions on storefront spaces to encourage turnover. Dunn said staff are evaluating enforcement technologies, including mounted cameras and license‑plate reader (LPR) systems that would let current code officers patrol efficiently without adding new staff.
On enforcement and penalties, staff proposed a first offense of no more than $35 with a possible escalation structure and discretion to set fines up to $500 for repeat offenders. The presentation included implementation steps: piloting technologies, integrating citations with municipal court software, a public information campaign, and a suggested 30‑day grace period before full enforcement. Council comment was broadly supportive of moving forward with the committee’s recommendations while monitoring data and allowing map adjustments after implementation.
Next steps: staff will continue technology validation, prepare a draft ordinance and a public outreach plan, and return to council with an implementation schedule and a refined enforcement approach.
