MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Free street parking has become hard to come by in Downtown Memphis and other city hot-spots.
“Sometimes you can find a spot maybe right in front, but a lot of times you end up having to go to some of the side neighborhood streets, and even then you’re far back,” Memphis resident Jessica Willett said.
It was common to see cones blocking off some of the most valuable parking spots for valet services.
The Madison had the entire front of its hotel cordoned off.
Down the street it was the same at Flight restaurant.
The owner of McEwen’s said his customers loved the amenity.
“That was one of the first things we added on a nightly basis when we first bought the restaurant,” McEwen’s owner John Littlefield said.
But some said these valet services were taking up valuable street parking when they wanted to visit other businesses.
“I feel like when I come to a street blocked off, then that’s a violation to me as a citizen,” Memphis resident Don Lloyd said.
In 2011, Memphis passed an ordinance that allowed businesses to block off spots near their entrances, but they needed a permit to do it.
In exchange they paid a yearly ramping fee to the city based on the location, number of hours and parking spots they received.
“We’re trying to accommodate the businesses because a lot of them don’t have nearby parking customers can easily use, but at the same time balance that with the citizens who need to use these public parking spaces,” Memphis Deputy City Engineer John Cameron said.
There were some kinks in the program.
WREG found some valet businesses still profited at your expense and inconvenience.
“One big problem with the city’s valet parking program is it’s self-policing, and not everyone plays by the rules.”
WREG found the valet company hired to park cars outside Rizzo’s new South Main Street location did not have a permit and was illegally keeping citizens from free street parking.
Cameron told us it recently warned the same company about its valet service in Cooper Young.
“We don’t have an active policing effort on that. We generally rely on complaints that come in,” Cameron said.
After our investigation, the valet company on South Main Street was told it must get a permit or cease operations.
The owner of that valet company denied violating ramping rules.
“I’m sure they’re trying to do something helpful, but I guess it does take some of the parking away from everybody else,” Willett said.
Spotting violators was pretty easy.
Signs and cones put out by the businesses or valet companies were not enough to keep you from a parking in a spot; you must also see City of Memphis ramping signs.
The city ordinance said valet companies could keep cars for as long as they wanted in their permitted ramping areas, but they couldn’t move them from one street space to another.
They must lease space in a lot or garage to park them.
