The Sunday Dispatch article "No 'gotcha' culture, officials say, but concerns grow about tickets," about parking-meter enforcement, deserves a response.

The Sunday Dispatch article � No �gotcha' culture, officials say, but concerns grow about tickets,� about parking-meter enforcement, deserves a response.

In the article, Reporters Lucas Sullivan and Rick Rouan paint a picture of overzealous enforcement officers spreading havoc in the Short North and parts of Downtown. A number of people are quoted opposing parking-enforcement efforts by the city.

Business owners who object to meter enforcement should be careful what they wish for. If the city were to relax its enforcement of meters, the parking situation in many urban neighborhoods would go from bad to worse.

Parking meters play a critical role in urban neighborhoods.

They encourage parking spaces to �turn over� and ensure that space is available to restaurant and retail customers.

Without them, parking becomes unavailable as employees and residents occupy on-street parking spaces for extended periods of time.

An example can be seen Downtown during weekday holidays when parking meters are free and private businesses are open. On-street parking spaces are all occupied by 9 a.m. and remain that way all day.

Nobody can �solve� parking shortages in successful, urban neighborhoods, nor would the public like the results if someone attempted to do so. People are drawn to the Short North, Gay Street, German Village, and other walkable neighborhoods precisely because they were not built to accommodate cars. Who wants to visit a place because of its large parking lots?

Public or private officials might respond to parking complaints by building one or more parking garages in high-demand areas. An additional parking garage in the Short North or Downtown will accommodate a few hundred more cars.

This, however, is an expensive investment that will not solve parking problems because the demand for parking always will exceed the supply in any good urban area. Instead of asking how to accommodate more cars, we should be asking how to accommodate more people.

Critics are correct to question the distribution of 30-minute parking meters. However, the answer is not to point fingers, but rather to work constructively with city officials to adjust the number and location of these 30-minute meters, which also play an important role. Once meter policies are set, the city does a great service by enforcing those policies.

Columbus is maturing. Parking complaints are a sure sign of success.

The real challenge Columbus faces is not whether city officials can solve its parking problems, but whether its residents are willing to become truly urban and take public transit, ride a bicycle, carpool, hail a taxi, use CoGo and Car2Go, and walk.

Only when that comes to pass will this city reach its potential.

CLEVE RICKSECKER

Director

Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District

Columbus