Starting tonight, evening downtown Hartford parkers who block fire hydrants, driveways and crosswalks, among other violations, will either be urged to move or be ticketed, the city’s parking overseer says.
Parking at all metered curbside spaces will remain free after 6 p.m. weekdays and no charge anytime on weekends, the Hartford Parking Authority (HPA) says.
But its “parking ambassadors’’ will roam the central core’s streets, particularly known “trouble spots,’’ seeking errant parkers and other “nuisance issues,’’ HPA Chief Executive Eric Boone said in a statement Friday.
The evening enforcement will be done in conjunction with the Hartford police department, Boone and Mayor Pedro E. Segarra said.
The added presence of HPA ambassadors and police downtown at night may provide downtown-goers with an extra measure of safety, though that’s not the program’s primary aim, officials said.
The city is responding to various concerns about evening parking, Boone said.
“HPA’s role in night enforcement is to be as unobtrusive as possible to the evening business establishments while still meeting pedestrian and emergency service needs,’’ Boone said.
The parking agency is talking to owners and managers of downtown shops and businesses, to “discuss the transition and to hand out window signs that encourage patrons to park legally,’’ he said.
