MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — The owner of O-Flow Cafe and Bakery said a parking crunch on the Murfreesboro Square is making it harder for customers to find a spot — and he believes repeat offenders are a big part of the problem.
Doug Berg, who owns the cafe and bakery on the square, believes the area's atmosphere is part of what makes his business special, but that charm comes with a challenge.
"I love these old buildings and I like the atmosphere on the square but you have to have a place for someone to park," Berg said.
A nearby parking garage offers some relief, but Berg said it fills up quickly.
"If you go down there and take a look at it I bet you all three floors are filled up right now," Berg said.
Berg said the deeper issue is that some drivers — likely people who work on the square — are simply paying the fines and leaving their cars in the same spots day after day.
"Say if there are 10 cars here 6 of them will have tickets every single day and it's the same exact cars every day, probably people who work on the square. It's only a 3-dollar ticket. For a 2 hour violation and over 4 it's $8 a day," Berg explained.
He said that behavior keeps spots from turning over for paying customers, which is especially difficult for a coffee shop that depends on quick visits.
"If you have a business where people come in and out with it's really not conducive to that. People sit down and eat like at Jack Browns or Jefferson's but for a coffee shop that's a little harder," Berg said.
The city of Murfreesboro issued an average of 63 parking tickets a day last year. Berg believes the majority of those are going to the same drivers.
"I bet 50 of those 63 are repeat offenders," Berg added.
City officials acknowledge repeat offenders exist but say that information is not tracked because there is no "repeat offender" citation category. Berg said that needs to change.
He said city officials are aware of the problem but have yet to find a solution.
"They know it's a problem. They have meetings about it being a problem but they haven't come up with a solution for the problem yet," Berg said.
Berg thinks the cost of citations is not the issue — he believes the city simply needs a better system for identifying and addressing drivers who repeatedly occupy spots without moving.
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