Arts, Beats and Eats parking barricades set up
Permit parking only on neighborhood streets; Violators will be fined $50
Now that the annual Soaring Eagle Arts, Beats and Eats festival is back this weekend, organizers and police are reminding attendees to avoid parking on nearby residential streets during the festival.
City workers have already set up orange and white barricades with signs near the affected streets reminding festival goers they will be ticketed if they park there.
Violators will be fined $50.
Parking permits have already been mailed to people who live on the neighborhood streets around the Arts, Beats and Eats footprint if they need to park on the street in front of their homes.
The festival runs from Friday through Monday.
Anyone parked in the designated permit areas without a permit will get a ticket, said Royal Oak Police Chief Corrigan O’Donohue.
“It’s clearly marked,” O’Donohue said. “The permit parking areas are in place out of respect to the neighborhoods around the festival zone.”
Some motorists fail to get the message during the festival each year.
“We get calls from the neighbors,” O’Donohue said. “A lot of times they can’t get to their own houses if people don’t park where they should.”
Police have the option of towing vehicles if illegal parking in neighborhoods is a problem during the event.
The permit parking area is in a radius of from a halfmile to a mile from the festival area.
Generally, the neighborhood permit zone is from Woodward Avenue to Alexander Street on the east side, between I-696 and Catalpa on the north side.
All Royal Oak parking meters will be unavailable because of traffic concerns and to avoid having customers circling the downtown looking for parking
at them.
“The great news about having the festival is that there are plenty of places to park close to the festival entrances,” said Jon Witz, producer of Arts, Beats and Eats.
Witz said there’s no need to worry about finding a parking spot if attendees park at the designated festival parking structures and lots.
A full list of those parking areas is on the festival website at artsbeateats. com. They include parking decks on 11 Mile Road between Main and Troy streets, two decks on Lafayette between Fourth and Lincoln, a deck at Center and Third streets, and the Oakland Community College deck at Lincoln and Washington.
Three parking lots will be open at 211 and 220 E. Lincoln, and another at the Royal Oak Middle School on Washington Avenue north of 11 Mile Road.
Parking at all the decks and lots is $15.
For $10, motorists can park at the Royal Oak High School off of Crooks, north of 13 Mile, Saturday through Monday, and take a free Arts, Beats and Shuttle to the festival.
“Parking revenues from the lots and structures cover city expenses for police, fire, and the Downtown Development Authority,” Witz said, “so the Royal Oak taxpayers don’t pay for hosting the (Arts, Beats and Eats) event.