People driving to downtown Auburn aren't too happy with the current parking system, according to a recent survey conducted by the Downtown Auburn Business Improvement District.

The paper survey, given to downtown businesses and their visitors, found that both customers and workers are on average less than satisfied with the parking situation.

The survey also found that the vast majority of businesses receive complaints over parking multiple times a week, and most of the respondents were not in favor of implementing some sort of city parking pass for elderly drivers.

BID Director Daniel Schuster presented the results to the city council during its Thursday meeting. And while some councilors are now rethinking their decision to install the parking kiosks downtown, Schuster asked them to consider giving people more time to acclimate themselves to the machines.

“If you keep changing it every couple of months, nobody is going to get used to how things operate down there,” Schuster said during the meeting.

BID officials surveyed 55 business owners and 136 individual customers on topics related to parking and found the following results:

• Only 3.7 percent of those questioned were very satisfied with the parking, while 25.7 percent were somewhat satisfied, 8.8 percent were ambivalent and 28.7 percent were somewhat dissatisfied. The largest group, 33 percent, was very dissatisfied with parking.

• About 60 percent of those surveyed came downtown once a month or less.

• Most of the customers, just more than 60 percent, parked on the street. About 21 percent parked in the garage, and 8 percent parked in city parking lots.

• Almost 42 percent of downtown

businesses hear parking complaints a few times a week, with 27 percent hearing them at least once a day.

Councilor William Graney said Friday that he is concerned by the high rate of dissatisfaction. That is a serious problem, Graney said, and it is time to reconsider those kiosks.

“On paper, it looked good, but it just doesn't seem to work,” Graney said.

Schuster told council that the survey yielded numerous comments concerning the kiosks. Some said the machines are confusing to use, while others complained they would make parking more difficult in the winter.

He also noted that about half of those surveyed did not know where the city's long-term parking lots were located. The people who knew had higher satisfaction rates than those who didn't, Schuster said.

“We're not doing a good job informing people of where they need to be parking,” he said.

City councilors asked the BID to conduct a parking survey last month after discussing the possibility of a parking permit for senior citizens. That idea did not gain much support, with almost 93 percent of business owners and 80 percent of customers coming out against the idea.

Councilor Matthew Smith said it is looking like the kiosks are a “mistake.” But Smith, who ultimately favors no parking fees at all, also suggested giving them another year to try and see if the machines can work.

Finding a workable system for downtown parking is a priority, he said, especially with the recent unveiling of plans for restoring State Street.

“When we have Stardust (Foundation) spending millions of dollars downtown, the least we can do is make it more accessible,” Smith said.

Perhaps the city could utilize an in-car meter system, Councilor Gilda Brower said. Much like the E-Z Pass program on the state thruway, there are parking devices that allow people to pay for parking time without leaving their car.

Brower said she has also been to cities that utilize valet parking in the downtown area, which she said is very convenient.

The council is open to other suggestions, as well, she added. “If anyone happens to have an idea, we're all years,” Brower said.

Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net