Starting Friday, parking in much of the downtown will cost you. The parking meters downtown have been around for about a week now, and people are wondering do they work yet.
Parking meters now say "free parking," but starting Friday, those words won't be there.
Park Macon-Bibb spent the day putting up the last few meters, and they say they are ready to go live.
"Just kinda not having to worry about that cost has been really good, but now that's changing," says Jave Bjorkman.
Bjorkman comes to work downtown every day. He says the meters showed up about a week ago, making him wonder when he needs to start paying to park.
"Do we pay or do we just kind of leave this here?" says Bjorkman.
We reached out to Macon Urban Development Authority and Park Macon-Bibb and the only information they at the time was they people will have to start paying on Friday morning.
Here's how they work:
Parking garages are available downtown as well, but Bjorkman says they aren't the best option for everyone. "If I worked closer to a parking garage when thinking about weather and having to lug equipment around, it's not ideal for me."
He says Park Macon-Bibb allows people to make a payment plan for parking if you regularly park downtown, but the process hasn't been easy for him.
"The transition has not been smooth -- it's been confusing."
To park, you must pay $1.25 an hour each hour, and after hour 3, you must move your car from the spot, even if you want to stay.
Bjorkman says this is inconvenient for him since he works downtown all day, but he will have to make the adjustment. "I feel like we are just going to have to get used to it."
He won't be the only one changing routines -- so will the rest of downtown.
Macon Urban Development and Park Macon-Bibb will hold a news conference Friday morning at 9 a.m. to talk about the parking meters.