Parking in downtown Columbia: Could that meter last until 11 pm?

The city of Columbia doesn’t want you squatting on that parking space!

Moving people in and out of parking spaces after a reasonable amount of time is good for businesses, according to John Spade, the city’s parking director, and everyone needs to have a shot at a space.

With turnover in mind, the city is looking at options for extending meter enforcement hours downtown. When people pay for meters, they’re less likely to leave their cars sit for hours unnecessarily, Spade says.

Right now, parking monitors don’t enforce city meter regulations downtown after 6 p.m. and on weekends.

Look for City Council to take up the discussion soon.

What do you think?

Is Columbia over-metered already? Or would higher turnover give you a chance at that parking space you’ve been dreaming of?

Do you leave your car sit downtown? Maybe even leave your car and hop in a car with others and go somewhere else? Nah ... right?

This story was originally published August 8, 2015 at 8:28 PM with the headline "Parking in downtown Columbia: Could that meter last until 11 pm?."