I agree completely with Mr. Johnston. The few who were elected to make decisions for the many are seriously out of touch with the electorate. I'm also not happy about having to GIVE away a percentage of our parking revenue to a private entity to "operate" the new system. If it's a money maker for the parking company (and it is) then why wouldn't the city just do it and keep the money wasted on the company's cut. This should've never happened. The DDA was instrumental in ramming this through. Change just for the sake of change is not progress, it's counterproductive. Will they ever learn?

Thanks to Chris Johnston for pointing out what many are thinking, but only a few are speaking out about. I think the DDA is terribly out of touch with Ferndale. We should not be adopting certain parking rates just because other cities are doing it or, as Mr. Johnston pointed out, are thought to be doing.

A few years ago a candidate for City Council opined that the DDA should be eliminated. I think a long, hard look at that possibility needs to happen.

Amen Chris! Had I known you were going to speak I would have joined you. I also am a business owner in Ferndale who keeps the cost of services down........because it is Ferndale and not Birmingham. The new parking rates are outrageous and the pay station annoying. Saw a line of 5 people deep waiting to pay, just yesterday in the Troy lot. As a resident, I usually walk to my destination but because it was so cold and windy on Monday I drove to an event that I did not know how long I would be at. I pumped $3 into the meter...........Yikes......too much! That won't be happening again. Chris is right, this is bad for businesses with metered parking and I believe that people will take their business elsewhere.

I agree with everything Chris said. Also, as a Ferndale resident, the expensive parking means that our neighborhood streets are going to be more flooded as people don't want to park in the public lots and so they park in front of houses for free. As a result, when I want to have visitors at my home, which I should have the ability to do, the street is full of non-resident cars and my friends/family have no where to park. This is already a big enough problem. It will only become a bigger problem with parking rates getting so high. Unless of course the Ferndale police intend to start issuing permits to residents so that I can be guaranteed a parking spot in front of my own house!!

The last time I park 10PM in ferndal I recieved a ticket that was 5 years ago as a ferndale resident of 30 years I do no shop in frendale!!

Yes I am drinking the same punch Chris is. Also I think it is crazy that the meters start at 9AM, when Royal Oak starts at 11AM. Also I hate that the businesses and visitors are paying for the bad decision made years ago, when we had the money to build a structure and let that fall through. Lastly with the high rate it impacts the residents near the city even more with people choosing to park in the neighborhood to park for free when they spend hours downtown. I have lived here 20 years and Ferndale has been through a lot of changes mostly good, some strange and even some bad changes, but we are not Royal Oak or Birmingham and I hope we don't strive to be. We are a very different city and that is a very good thing!

Even big cities like New York and San Francisco only run it's meters until 6 pm or 9pm. Who the heck does Ferndale think it is? And I wholeheartedly agree that the hourly parking rate is far too high for the area. We are not a metropolis.... we are Ferndale, Michigan for goodness sakes!

The people are speaking - and council is elected to speak and act for us, the citizens! No shame or back-peddling in reducing the rates. I think we understand this was a big endeavor that would need tweaking.
There needs to be a pay station every 10 cars if this is going to work. If you can't find an empty spot near a station and you have to hike to pay then double back to head in the right direction, that's 20 minutes people "don't have" to burn. The elderly shouldn't be expected to cover that much terrain.
Think of our festival season. This will be madness.

As a Ferndale resident and employee of a very busy bar/restaurant, I have heard nothing good said about the new parking system, especially from first time Ferndale visitors. Is this the impression that we want to give to surrounding communities? It should not be this difficult nor expensive to park here. This is an extremely poor representation of what our community is and should be.

Furthermore, why did they dump ParkMobile? That was the easiest, most forward thinking parking system I have ever encountered. Park. Click. Done. Instead, I had to wait in a 10 min line at a silly pay station to pay $5 to park last Thursday. (Which was HALF the ticket price to the show at Lovinf Touch BTW). Stupid.

Guess I won't be visiting Ferndale much anymore!

Cindy Hojna
I agree wholeheartedly with all of the above comments. I work on the west side and know of several people who frequent Ferndale on the weekends because it's a "fun funky" city....to their surprise a 1.00 per hour parking will have them think twice about where to spend their money...Ferndale???.....or go where the parking is cheaper...

My last dollar spent
Freezing cold waiting to pay
Tomorrow night Royal Oak

I am in complete agreement with this. I have no problem with the learning curve on the new system, and I commend the city on acting so quickly on most of the issues. But it was pretty shifty to sneak such a huge fee increase in past us and tell us it's same as Royal Oak. Shame on you Ferndale.

I think it was the worst when I saw 10 people waiting in line to pay for the overpriced parking, in the pouring RAIN! I won't be back since I will always knows I have to pay $1.00 to visit the city!

One of the reasons I went to Ferndale over other cities is because of park mobile and how inexpensive it was. If I wanted RO, I'd go there. If I wanted Bham, I'd go there. Now when I want something different, I guess I'll go down town. That's what the young kids are doing now isn't it?

As a new resident to Ferndale I was disappointed by the new parking laws. After spending a year frequenting Ferndale Bars, I have decided to hang out elsewhere, because I refuse to pay that much for parking.

Thanks for helping me lose weight, Ferndale. Instead of parking, I'll just walk the mile+ from my house to downtown. And thanks for saving me money, because no way am I going to be able to buy much if I'm then lugging it a mile back home.

After seven years in Chicago, I accepted that any and all governing bodies are simply incapable of a making logical, reasonable decisions related to public parking.

Facebook is all abuzz with how badly this new system is being received. The reason there are lines is because no one can figure out how to work the machine, people forget their FOUR digit space number, the machines don't like cash/coin, the lighting around the sparse pay stations is inadequate, and the prices are outrageous relative to last week's rates. The City should be looking at other options, including getting out of this contract that clearly is not benefitting the City or its residents.

Looks like its time for a petition?

I used to run my business in Ferndale. I rented a small office in another professional's building. He already had a "certificate of occupancy" and whatever other red tape Ferndale required of him. Then they sent me a letter demanding I pay something like $250 for a "certificate of occupancy."

When I told them I didn't need that since it was already taken care of by my landlord they made a big deal about it.

Ferndale seems very backward to me, given the progressive, forward thinking image they like to portray. The district court requires business to be conducted on two floors and doesn't even have an elevator.

Ferndale does not have any shops, stores or attractions that would make it worth $1 per hour to park there.

That's gouging. That's the type of thing they do downtown during big sports games.

Shame on you Ferndale.

As a former resident of Ferndale who still loves the city, I can say this will result in me visiting her businesses less. There are establishments just as close to me in the other direction where I won't have to pay for parking. I'm not busting out a credit card for two dollars, and I don't keep change in my car.

I live in Ferndale and have for 13 years. I choose to shop and dine in Ferndale because of its businesses, NOT because of the parking rates. Just because the rates increased does NOT mean that businesses in Royal Oak or Birmingham are all of a sudden more appealing to me just because their rates are cheaper. Those of you who commented that you will shop and dine less in Ferndale now because of the "outrageous" rates then I doubt you really liked Ferndale in the first place. I didn't like Dino's, Naka, Cupcake Station, etc because of cheaper parking rates. I love Ferndale businesses because of what they are and the people who own them. I understand that nobody likes to pay more but I will not hurt Ferndale businesses by going to those "douchebag" cities nearby just to pay for cheaper parking!

Chris,

First off, I love the WAB and feel that it's one of the hidden gems in Ferndale. Second, I agree with you completely. The biggest gripe that I have when visiting Ferndale is that I have to pay for parking, and raising the expense doesn't help. I live in Farmington and we've got a vibrant downtown with zero parking meters. We've got great restaurants and it's a happening place. If Ferndale needs to come up with funds, this is not the best way to go about it.

Definitely agree with Chris. I'm glad somebody did their homework. The city is obviously out of touch if they don't sense the collective frustration. They are definitely not on Facebook. I watched all weekend as people lined up five deep to figure out the parking system. These sad and frustrated faces are not the ones I want to see in Ferndale. I stopped visiting Royal Oak as regularly as I used to years ago because of parking issues. Now I am starting to feel the same way about Ferndale. Not good. Whose idea was this anyway? This is the kind of Netflix-style blunder that can really result in a lot of negative buzz.

Just do what I do. I park in Troy for free then hitch hike to Hazel Park then I jog from Hazel Park to downtown Ferndale. It's a great way to get my cardio out of the way each day!

If we want to bring in people to SPEND THEIR MONEY in Ferndale we need to lower that rate.

My husband and I only shop at the Health Food Stores in Ferndale. I travel far to get my favorite products. I will not be returning to Ferndale to pay $1.00 per hour to shop for 20 minutes. We are boycotting Ferndale period. The community is not a rich community and the econony is very weak, and you are charging the poorest of people to park a car! Ridiculous and absurd behavior for greedy politicians. Bye Bye Food Patch (my favorite store)! Sincerely Appalled

I used to prefer to shop in my own city...but I'll go a few miles and save the dollar....sad

I agree with Shawn - the ParkMobile app was the best. Fast and easy. A lot of times, that is what led us to dine out in Ferndale rather than Royal Oak. I haven't used the pay stations yet, but can tell by the cluster of people blocking the sidewalk now (on my nightly walks with the dog) that it's a pain. So with the added frustration and an increase in cost, who s going to want to come here?

Ferndale residents already pay some of the highest property taxes in Oakland County. Now the city wants to shake us down even more. I can shop elsewhere. I can eat elsewhere. If the prop taxes continue to go up, soon I'll be living elsewhere.

Not a Ferndale resident, but I would like to point out that no doubt there are others like me who refuse to spend our monies at businesses in cities with parking meters. I would pass Ferndale right by, rather than put one quarter into a parking meter, and constantly worry about 'feeding' the stupid thing. I am not sure what Ferndale thinks of Ferndale, but I can assure you other people from cities do not see you as extra special to justify charging anything, let alone a $1.00 to park.

Just wait if you think the parking situation is bad. I predict toll roads in Ferndale!

I live in downtown Royal Oak. The parking permit system there means it is very difficult to have friends visit. I rarely patronize downtown Royal Oak businesses unless I feel like walking because the parking is so terrible. At least Royal Oak doesn't start charging until 11AM so residents can shop in the morning. I like to shop in Ferndale but this parking mess means I will visit a lot less. Clawson has free parking and they are really starting to develop their downtown. Ironically Birmingham parking is not bad because they allow 2 hours free in the structures any time of day.

I see where most people hate the new situation. But for people to say " I will go a few miles and save a dollar" don't seem to understand math as well as Mr. Johnston or understand how fuel and an automobile works. And for others to say that they will go to Birmingham or Royal Oak instead of Ferndale just because of parking rates, they must not be too familiar with either place. I love Ferndale and its' uniqueness and I'm willing to pay for it. If people think they are saving money by shopping in Birmingham, once again, they don't really get it. If the choice is BlackFinn or WAB and the decision comes down to how much parking is, please do all of us who hangout in Ferndale a favor and choose BlackFinn. This is just a typical, knee-jerked reaction to something new and uncomfortable. It will be forgotten in under a year.

As a side note, Mr. Johnston has lined his pockets and built the biggest house in Ferndale with his "I am everyman" schtick. His concern isn't about the customer, it"s about filling his 3 bars. He and The Wab, etc. love Ferndale the same way Dick Cheney and Halliburton love the United States. He is the 1%, we are the 99% It's easy to say you are all about the common man when you aren't one.

come on Ferndale Resident, my mom reads this. She's the only person who actually believes I care about anything more than lining my pockets and I really don't want to burst her bubble this far into the ruse.

I notice that Ferndale Resident chooses to remain anonymous. Wise choice. Ruse or sincere, Chris echoes the concerns the rest of us "99%" have.

I agree with Chris. I can't believe rates extend until 11pm at night. I have yet to drive by a pay station without seeing a very cold line of people rowed up behind it. I dont like the new system and go out of my way to avoid it (ive knly used it once - that was enough). What's almost more disappointing to me is that I haven't heard from the city about why they chose this system, about their research, about their due diligence in getting citizen input. No explanation, not even a mea culpa. Is anyone taking responsibility for this?

Thank you Mr. Johnston for speaking up! I think Ferndale could have used the funds that were used to "upgrade" the parking system to attract visitors instead of chasing them away. I love my city but am very dissapointed with this decision.

I've been noticing people driving around the city looking at the lines of people standing at the pay stations. Look out...this could be another opportunity for the city to make another $1.00. We can call it "The Parking Tour".

I've not once paid money at one of those new pay station things. Inconvenient, weird, annoying. If I'm just going into some place for a few minutes, I won't bother with walking over to the thing, waiting in line, walking back to the car... I'd rather just not pay out of principle and take my chances (which have been 100% ticket-free thus far) on getting a ticket.

WAB should move to Berkley; we are rolling in free parking. Sometimes I park my car on 12 Mile all day, just because I can!

I can't believe that progressive Ferndale is following the lead of Detroit, Birmingham. and Royal Oak. Especially when Ferndale is still growing. One dollar parking is not an advantage, I could understand it in NYC, and Chicago, even in richy rich Birmingham, but Ferndale? I am sure the city businesses would rather have a city income tax that would only take from the profits generated than to lose customers to restrictive expensive parking.

It is very contradictory how the city is going about trying to solve this problem:
Parking has been a problem child because at peak times there are not enough parking spots in the downtown. The explanation is that they are raising rates to eventually build a structure (who knows when that will happen since we have a city funded study for one from 2009), but in the meantime this is making parking more miserable.

If going by the maximum profit they can attain at the meters in the typical supply and demand dynamics, they might try to find what is the most they can charge for parking, since it is a limited commodity in the lots at peak times, and still fill the lot. As a resident however, I am afraid that the zoned approach of determining parking prices has a hidden outer zone that they are not talking about. And that is free parking in residential streets. Can anyone tell me if they are still enforcing the restricted residential zones on their streets? I think the unspoken plan is that overflow parking will have to go into residential streets.

Since some people have been asking to other commenters, "What is your solution?", it's this:
First of all, stop selling show tickets if you ran out of seats. In other words stop selling liquor licenses. At this point, we are where we don't have any more room (parking-wise) at peak times to satisfy this. And don't we want a better balance of daytime retail to nighttime bars anyways? Was it a lack of this that brought down downtown Pontiac neighborhoods?

Secondly, if you want someone to pay for a parking structure, direct it at who it is for: nighttime establishments (bars, clubs, etc.), and not the visitors to our city, and not the residents. Tack it on as part of the liquor licenses and renewals and base it on how many patrons those businesses take in at peak times. If those businesses are jumping on this city's booming downtown industry of selling alcohol for 4 times retail cost, then this should be part of the price for the privilege. Additionally, since the DDA captures all of the extra TIF taxes generated by these businesses, they should be diverting some of that money for it as well.

And Finally, incentivize daytime/retail businesses to move into the city, so their customers use those empty parking spots during the day, and encourage more daytime walk-by traffic to mainly evening/nighttime restaurants. I'm talking about similar to The F&M or the Artistry shop we used to have. Think big. At one point there was even a department store at Nine and Woodward.

Really...over some pocket change. I can understand frustrations about the system perhaps, but the rate increase is marginal. If you are unwilling to pay a dollar to park in Ferndale, than how much money are you really spending in this city anyways. Just go somewhere else and decrease the surplus parking population.

These whiny comments show the true seedy side of Ferndale.
Everything is all roses and everyone made the best of what Ferndale has to offer. That is until you whiners don't get your way.
Ferndale is not Birmingham but when you look at yourself in a mirror you wouldn't know the difference.

My god there is money here.
How much were all those TATTOO'S?
Oh your hair was done at Flip for $85! Really! You paid that!
Did you really pay $25 for sushi?
Those that complain about parking time spent a lot of time sitting fingering your $400 iPad sipping that $6 latte. Whine" I'm too broke to pay for parking!"

You got loose change or did you spend it on your monthly bill for your iPhone while shopping at the expensive all Natural holistic foo foo shop?

Your worse than Birmingham they are not acting rich because they are!

How dare you compare Ferndale to any other place!