Starting in October, CARTA will take responsibility for downtown parking enforcement, instead of the police department.
The goal is to make sure visitors can find a place to park.
That may require workers to stop feeding the meters.
Downtown business depends on Chattanoogans as well as a healthy number of out of town visitors every day.
The city has made changes in parking patterns...and created more spaces...especially around restaurants and the Aquariums.
RANDALL HAYNES, SCOTTSBORO, ALABAMA "There's nowhere to park...there's nowhere in this place to park...we had to get in the parking garage and go all the way to the top."
KIM HAYNES, SCOTTSBORO, AL "The other truck that is with us..are still circling right now, trying to find a parking spot."
In October, CARTA will assume responsibility for the program, even though some of the Police department's Service Technicians will continue to work for another 2 to 3 years with CARTA employees.
The focus immediately will be opening up on-street parking.
TOM DUGAN, CARTA EXEC. DIRECTOR "A lot of people don't know there's a 2 hour limit..so we're going to have to do education to people."
Dugan says CARTA will not be heavy-handed in the take-over.
TOM DUGAN "We'll probably have period, maybe 30 days..where we give warning tickets...not real tickets."
It may not work for everybody.
AGATHA BROYLES, RESTAURANT EMPLOYEE "It would be really difficult..we run out all the time to pay for our meters..two hours isn't enough."
BRITTANY BROWN, RESTAURANT EMPLOYEE "The only free parking we have is ..right up on the street...I think Chestnut."" most of the time it fills up by 12 o'clock."
Dugan says CARTA is looking to provide shuttle service to low-cost parking garages for downtown workers.
As for using the "boot" on violaters, he says that won't come until the offender has received three written notices in the mail.
Dugan says CARTA will guarantee the city 480-thousand dollars a year in revenue for the next two years, and 240-thousand the 3rd year.
CARTA is also looking at new meters that can accept cash, tokens and credit cards.
For more information, check the web site....www.gocarta.org.
