BEND, OR -- Parking limitations will be imposed near Bend’s Drake Park, starting Saturday. The city’s Parking Demand Manager, Drew Dietrich, says allowing people to park along Riverside Boulevard for no more than four hours was a joint decision with Bend Parks and Recreation, "They wanted to increase circulation for visitors at Drake Park, to accommodate all the types of visitors that are going to be enjoying the park, this summer. In order to do that turnover, they want to make sure there’s an equitable time for everybody, so they’re going to implement – as a pilot – a four hour parking limit."
The time limit applies to cars parked on Riverside Blvd, between Broadway St and Tumalo Ave, "They believe that four hours is a sufficient time to go have a picnic, walk the park, float the river and kind of explore all the amenities that the park has to offer," Dietrich tells KBND News, "The key emphasis for this is that this is a pilot; and it’ll run from May 26 to September third, on Labor Day."
The city and Bend Parks and Recreation will take public comment throughout the joint pilot program. "We’ll see how that goes and do some other measurements on traffic and evaluate at the end of the summer and, between Parks and Rec and the city, decide whether this was a successful pilot." Dietrich says, "We’ve had some preliminary feedback, but a lot of it is kind of just a lot of ‘wait and see’ how this does or doesn’t adjust visitor behavior." Click HERE to learn more; those wanting to provide feedback can call 541-371-3000 and choose option 3.
Those who violate the four-hour parking rule could face a $50 ticket.
