Pontiac Mayor Bob Russell/WJEZ file photo

By A.J. Harris with Todd Wineburner

The Pontiac City Council voted Monday to amend the limited time parking zone ordinance.

With the change, timed parking in the downtown area now allows three hour parking from 8AM to 5PM, Monday through Friday.  Previously the limit was two hours. On WJEZ’s Community Forum, Pontiac Mayor Bob Russell said the change was a response to a good problem—a downtown business district that’s attracting enough customers to make a parking an issue. Russell says there was a time when shoppers came downtown,  made one stop, and then headed back home. Now, Russell says the variety of shops in the downtown means habits are different. “We have…people that want to come and shop downtown and because of all the shops we have now, they can spend several hours there.”

Signs are being adjusted and enforcement is set to resume Dec. 15. Russell says the Pontiac police department will be making regular rounds to enforce the new time allowances. The complete conversation with Pontiac Mayor Bob Russell can be heard on our Podcasts page.