Parking big vehicles in downtown Bend gets tricky – or spendy

If you’ve ever had to swerve around a vehicle sticking too far out of its downtown Bend parking spot, you’re not alone.

Beth Miller lives in Bend and has seen this issue many times before.

“So when the big trucks park downtown, it sometimes will take up a whole lane, so then it diverts traffic to the other lane and makes everybody merge, so it slows everything down as people are coming down the street,” Miller said Wednesday.

That’s what the city of Bend is trying to address in its latest rule change to downtown parking.

If a vehicle is longer than 19.5 feet, or sticks out past the white lines, it can be ticketed, explained Ben Hemson, business advocate for the city.

“I mean, this was an issue over the winter, of course, with the snowdrifts, and it’s only become more evident as we have more and more traffic this year,” Hemson said.

“With the eclipse coming up, we’re going to see more traffic, and folks want that flow downtown,” he added.

But not everyone is pleased with the news. Some think a plan should’ve been in place to make spots for those larger vehicles.

That includes truck owner Jeff Jackman.

“I think if they have an issue with it , before they cite the people for it, they should provide an alternative solution for their parking issue,” he said.

“It’s kind of being selective of the vehicle you are ticketing, not that you’re actually doing anything wrong,” Jackman said.

The city said there is parking for those longer cars.

“So if you’re a truck or an oversize vehicle, city code allows you to take up two parallel spots,” Hemson said. “So any place you can parallel park that’s fine. If you can fit in the (parking) garage, that’s fine too.”

If you get a ticket, the fine will range between $12 and $45, depending on how quickly you pay it.