Manitou Springs aims to reduce parking congestion ahead of summer

Manitou Springs is a fun town to visit but parking there can be a real pain.

That’s why city planners will soon test out a program to end the circling to find that rare spot.

It’s a sentiment many of us can relate to when it comes to parking in Manitou Springs.

“Parking sucks!” says Tiffany Scott, an employee in Manitou Springs.

You drive around, and around for any place to park.

“You have to drive around for like 20 minutes just to find somewhere, said Jeanette Williams who was forced to pay for parking.

Even the people who work here have to compete for spots.

“I honestly will bike into work a lot just so I don’t even have to deal with parking,” Scott said.

But city planners have a plan to keep streets from getting clogged by drivers in search of parking spots.

“Sometimes it’s just not knowing where those available parking spots are,” said Leslie Lewis with the Chamber of Commerce.

Part of the plan, letting people know with electronic signs as drivers approach downtown. Also, creating more spaces.

In addition, the city has slashed rates for the Barr Trail lot to five dollars per vehicle.

Although there is some skepticism about this plan, city planners are moving forward with optimism.

To make things even easier, there will be a phone app to help drivers find parking. It all starts on June 8th.