ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) — Royal Oak's switch to ParkMobile at the start of the year is getting positive reviews from residents and business owners who say it's simpler and more user-friendly than the previous system.
"I thought it was really easy. Everything is spelled out for how to do it," Suzanne Abbott of Harrison Township said.
Watch Jolie Sherman's video report below:
Kelly Dobson of Livonia agreed, noting the familiarity of the system.
"They have similar machines in Ann Arbor, which I go to a lot, so it was not that hard to figure it out," Dobson said.
However, some residents acknowledge there's a learning curve for less tech-savvy users.
"You know, I'm pretty tech savvy, but there's people in places right here, they couldn't," Phillip Stephens of Royal Oak said.
The new ParkMobile system eliminated the city's controversial back-in parking spaces and camera technology, providing relief for many businesses, especially those on South Washington Avenue, who felt the old system drove customers away.
"It used to be daily, weekly complaints about not being able to back in, not understanding the system, the app not working, and now it's the exact opposite," said Julia Manzella, who works at Rail & Anchor gift shop.
Manzella has worked at the gift shop for six years and has noticed increased foot traffic since the switch.
"The anxiety is gone about parking here now. It's way more welcoming to come back to the city," Manzella said.
City officials say creating a welcoming environment was exactly their goal.
"The hardest part should be deciding where you want to go for dinner, not how to park," City Commissioner Brandon Kolo said.
Previous report: Royal Oak shares exclusive sneak peek of new downtown parking meters ahead of January 2026 launch
Kolo and fellow City Commissioner Rebecca Cheezum wanted a parking system already used in other communities. The ParkMobile system is also used in Ferndale and Birmingham.
"So it's really familiar to people and I think people are really enjoying the ease of our on-street parking," Cheezum said.
The new system eliminates back-in parking spaces but still requires payment even when meters are bagged. Users should look for orange signs and kiosks, then follow the listed steps including entering the zone number and license plate number.
Other payment options include downloading the ParkMobile app, paying online or texting "PARK" to 77223.
"Our downtown is really important to us. We want people to come downtown. We want visitors in our community. That's really important to us, to our business owners, to our residents... and so it was really essential that we get it right," Cheezum said.
Previous report: Royal Oak returns to pull-in parking, ending controversial back-in spaces
The city has already started removing the old meters, with the process expected to be completed by April.
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