A joint meeting of the City of Madison Transit and Parking Commission, the Pedestrian/Bicycle/Motor Vehicle Commission and the Downtown Coordinating Committee discussed city staff's report on metered parking on Capitol Square Wednesday.
Traffic engineering concluded in its report that the test parking on the square has proven successful and is worthy of permanent implementation.
Each commission must forward the staff's report to the Common Council, which will make the final determination on whether metered parking on the square will be permanent. After two hours of public comment and questions to city staff, the separate commissions elected to revisit the issue at their next meeting before sending final approval to the Common Council.
However, public comment seemed to suggest a general agreement with city staff's assessment and hope for a revitalized downtown as a result of parking on the square.
"Parking on the square creates a more vibrant, dynamic downtown," said Susan Schmitz, president of Downtown Madison Inc.
According to Schmitz, a contributing factor to a lively downtown is successful businesses and restaurants.
"Businesses downtown have been helped a great deal by this," Schmitz said. "Business owners like knowing there is a place in front of their business where customers can park."
Laura Brown, a citizen who spoke during public comment, raised concerns about traffic and said parking on the square — particularly on Saturdays — brings chaos to the area.
"I travel up to the farmers' market by bicycle, and it is just anarchy," Brown said. "I often get stopped behind a car or SUV waiting in the middle of the right lane for a parking spot to open up."
According to a June 14 release, the right lane is a multi-use lane. The lane is shared by bicyclists, buses and right-turning traffic. Some committee members expressed concern regarding the Madison Police Department's ability to enforce traffic laws on the square with such a variety of traffic.
However, Mary Lang Sollinger, a member of the Downtown Coordinating Committee, said a report from MPD traffic officers does not indicate trouble with traffic enforcement.
"The Madison Police Department traffic control has not noted any significant problems or safety complaints on the square," Sollinger said. "I thought it was interesting to hear they hadn't noted any problems, given the variety of potential problems it seems like the Capitol Square setup presents."
One unanimous concern raised by the public and members of each committee was the unclear bike-lane markings and parking. Schmitz said traffic is slow enough on the square for bicyclists to feel safe, but the right lane should be less ambiguous and bike parking should be clearly marked.
"The street is not marked right now at all," Schmitz said. "And we need more bike parking, with signs."
Rosemary Lee, a citizen of Madison's downtown, said any small problems caused by parking on the square can be resolved, and, if not, can be dealt with by citizens.
"I do feel that if we want to encourage dynamic growth in our downtown, then parking on the square is a small price to pay," Lee said. "Citizens should be able to deal with a little inconvenience for the good of their city."
