Do you think parking is a problem in downtown Roanoke? A new report shows it is not!
The number of spots, around 71-hundred makes parking sound easy in downtown Roanoke. During busy hours like today's lunch rush, people say finding a spot requires a little luck and a lot of patience.
"Nothing is fine with parking in downtown Roanoke, it's a nightmare especially when you come down during the day when all the businesses are open, there are no places to park so why would you come and visit a merchant when you have to fight all the traffic," said Leslie Matney.
Parking in the heart of downtown Roanoke proved a big challenge for Leslie Matney today. On the whole, Roanoke City is aware of those frustrations.
"With respect to on-street parking, we really only have a problem on a few streets downtown," said City Planner Chris Chittum.
Street parking comes at a premium in the area surrounding the Market Building during peak hours.
"Those are the spaces that people want obviously so they're obviously full parts of the day, so it's a matter of having the availability of where people want it," Chittum added.
There are 55-hundred spots at public lots and parking garages across the city. The report found spots are available, reasonably priced and Chittum says people know it: "What we're seeing in our garages is a very good occupancy rate, public garages anyway are very good, so we think pricing is right minus a few exceptions."
