Take Two: Paid Parking Resumes Monday In Brady Arts District

The parking meters in the Brady Arts district are back. That means starting Monday, October 5, you'll have to pay to park. So, how does the system work?

The meters were wrapped up and shut down for several weeks after the signs that go along with them weren't ready to put up in time. Now, enforcement is back.

Dean Wyatt with the Tulsa Artists Coalition works and plays here in the Brady Arts district and uses the Parking App on his smartphone to pay.

"It's counting down the time I have left to park here," he said, demonstrating. 

The App is just one of the ways you can pay to park through the new system.

Visitor Jerry Jones opted to use one of the new meters.

"It's just fine, I didn't have any trouble," she said.

10/1/2015 Related Story: Parking Meter Test Resumes In Tulsa's Brady Arts District

Jones say's it was easy - thanks to the newly installed signs around the district. The  signs weren't available during the initial roll out causing some confusion in the beginning.

With the new system, you park, take down your tag information and enter it into a meter, the app or in a phone call. Instructions are clearly spelled out in signs posted around the area. The system then recognizes your plate numbers, how much you paid, and how long you have.

So far the city say's this parking situation is a pilot program. If it works out, it could replace the old system throughout downtown once funding is available.

"The rest of downtown the meters haven't worked, and the city's lost a lot of money," Jerry Jones said.

And even though some may not like the idea of paying to park, Dean Wyatt says  it had to happen.

"Down here in the district we had trouble with people downtown coming down here to park for free all day, which didn't leave any room for our patrons so it's definitely a necessary evil," he said.
 
A necessary evil people will just have to get used to.

Ways to pay: