Getting Parking Ticket in GR Has Now Become Easier

If you are coming to downtown Grand Rapids to pre-game before an event, pay attention to where you park because the city has increased parking meter times.

Paid Parking

If you work in downtown Grand Rapids or visit for events, you pay to park in most of the city.

You are either paying to be in a parking garage or at one of the new digital parking meters in Grand Rapids.

Things are changing in downtown Grand Rapids and if you want to avoid one of those fluorescent pieces of paper under your windshield wiper that will raise your blood pressure, make sure you know the new rules. I know I have to be a bit more careful since after 5 I will sometimes park out front if I'm carrying something big in or out of the building.

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City of Grand Rapids Extended Parking Enforcement Hours

My office is located near most of the venues in Grand Rapids, so I see how West Michigan parks daily before going to an event at Van Andel, 20 Monroe, restaurants, and other clubs and businesses downtown. People know when the meters are free and arrive early to pre-game before their night out. You may get a ticket if you don't know the new rules.

According to WOOD, the City of Grand Rapids hopes to free up more parking spots by changing the enforcement hours on the parking meters.

The new meter hours for on-street parking is 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. A one-hour increase has been made to speed up the turnover of visitors at restaurants while allegedly freeing up spaces.

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We all know at the end of the day, this extra hour will also increase the number of tickets written and the bottom line is more revenue for the city. The change will be more about the last line than freeing up extra parking spaces.

The increase will not just be in street parking hours but parking garages throughout the city rates are going up 2%. Learn more about the parking changes here.