The city of Omaha says there is plenty of parking downtown, it's just a matter of finding it. For drivers it's all about two things; cost and convenience.

Downtown commuter Darlynn Myers parks at a city surface lot on 11th and Harney once a week.

"I've been parking here for maybe almost two years and it has gone up just for the daily parking here but what hasn't," she said.

For Nathan Toenjes, who drives into downtown for entertainment and restaurants, there's a different motive.

"I always make it a goal to never really give up until I find a street parking spot so sometimes it is more difficult."

Toenjes says he avoids ramps all together.

It's a conundrum leading to parking problems downtown. The city tells our partners at the Omaha World-Herald there are plenty of spots available.

But some commuters either can't find the city lots or think they're too far away.

"We do avoid ramps, we always end up driving around a few times to find a spot," said Alaina Ruszkowski.