Downtown visitors upset over towed vehicles during show

CEDAR RAPIDS - Towed vehicles spoiled the fun for a handful of people attending the monster truck show at U.S. Cellular Center event last week, and downtown supporters say the issue points out a real parking problem that can occur when lots of visitors flood the area.

Bruce Shakespeare of Center Point said the city started towing vehicles parked in lots under Interstate 380 towards the end of the truck show Friday night. He heard an announcement on the arena's public address system asking people to move vehicles. But, by the time he got outside, the tow truck was already hooked up, and he had to pay.

“$76 and some change - welcome to Cedar Rapids, right,” Shakespeare said. “This is the last time I'll come back to Cedar Rapids for an event if this is how they treat people - no place to park.”

Republic Parking operates the parking system for the city. Administrator John Rouse said the five or six vehicles towed Friday night got removed because they illegally parked in surface lots reserved for monthly users. Rouse said some of those users called to complain they couldn't find a place to park. Signs in city lots 9, 10 and 12 warn that violators can get towed.

Downtown promoters said it's a tough balancing act between accommodating visitors and making sure the parking system works.

Doug Neumann, president of the Cedar Rapids Downtown District, said “You want to make things as customer-friendly as possible. But to manage a parking system you can't have people parking in illegal places.”

As of April 1, the Downtown District takes over control of city parking operations in the downtown area. Neumann  hopes to install better signage directing people where to park, especially for large events. But he doesn't believe the parking system can ignore violations altogether simply to avoid offending any out-of-town visitors.

Neumann said the long term solution is more parking. He's hopeful it's part of the plan when the city's new convention complex is finished in a couple of years.