CLEVELAND — As the Guardians are set to play at home on June 26, be careful not to leave your car in a no-parking restricted area in Downtown Cleveland because it could result in a fine.
The city announced parking regulations as part of the gateway reconfiguration project in late May.
During special events, like Guardians games, downtown street parking will be heavily restricted.
According to the city, the following streets will have no-parking restrictions in place:
- East 9th Street: Euclid Avenue to Bolivar Road.
- East 4th Street: From Huron Road to Prospect Avenue.
- East 2nd Street: From High Street to Prospect Avenue.
- Prospect Avenue: From Ontario Street to East 14th Street.
- Bolivar Road: From East 7th Street to Prospect Avenue.
- Huron Road: From East 9th Street to Ontario Street.
- Sumner Avenue: From East 9th Street to East 14th Street.
- Erie Court: From East 9th Street to East 14th Street.
Days when those restrictions are in effect will be regularly updated through bright orange signage on poles.
On those same streets, though, are pay-to-park stations, which are causing confusion among drivers visiting the area.
While I was visiting Downtown Cleveland on June 8, the New York Yankees were playing the Guardians at Progressive Field.
Lining the streets of Prospect Avenue and Huron Road East were parked cars with bright yellow parking tickets either on the windshield or tucked into the driver's side door handle.
The city tells me the ticket cost can vary.
"The exact amount depends [on] a few factors such as the specific violation, where it occurred, and the time of day (i.e. whether it’s during rush-hour or not). However, most fines end up being between $25-$35. There are certain instances where the fine can go up to $50 depending on the violation – e.g. parking in fire lanes, blocking a bus stop, parking during a snow emergency, etc.," a City of Cleveland spokesperson said.
Mark Salsbury told me he parked downtown during the Guards home opener and drove away with a $50 parking ticket.
"There's absolutely nothing over there that shows anything like that (no parking signage)," Salsbury said.
A friend of Salsbury's, Anthony Corsi, added, "I've been downtown for six years now, right? And a lot of the places... they put up new signs that were never there before, so people choose not to look because they just think it's a precedent that no new signs would be there."
The confusion even forced a Cleveland traffic enforcement officer to write on a piece of paper that no parking was allowed from 4 p.m. to midnight on Huron Road East due to the June 8 baseball game.
He taped it to a pay-to-park station.
That officer, along with several others, was patrolling the area during that Guardians game and will continue to do so to ensure drivers are not in violation of the no-parking restrictions.
If a driver is towed, they may face a $125 fine.
That price could go up if Cleveland City Council members pass legislation raising it to $190.
"This (being towed) is all based on various circumstances. Sometimes vehicles need to be moved out of the way immediately if they’re impeding traffic while large-scale events are going on; whereas other times, when the infraction is in a residential area that sees less traffic, it may depend more so on tow truck companies’ availability," a City of Cleveland spokesperson said.
That increase in the fee proposal is still being considered.
RELATED: 'That's ridiculous': Cleveland considers raising tow fees
Towed vehicles can be retrieved from the City of Cleveland’s Impound Unit at 3040 Quigley Road.
"Inconvenience after inconvenience. But I love what they're doing in downtown Cleveland. I feel like they should make it a little bit more convenient for us to come down here and have a good time," Demika Smith, who was visiting Downtown Cleveland this week, said.
Through press releases and social media posts, the city said it consistently communicates parking restrictions, road closures, and other traffic information.
"We encourage everyone to follow our social pages and watch/read/listen to their local news so they are aware when this information goes out," a spokesperson for the city said.
The Special Event Parking Map, along with additional street parking information, can be found on the city’s website.
For accurate parking rates and enforcement hours, you can also visit ParkMobile.
