ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Parking has been a longstanding problem in Royal Oak, but there are finally some changes on the horizon.
In 2021, the city of Royal Oak rolled out a new parking system that sparked major frustration among residents and business owners.
“The worst. Terrible,” said stylist Johnny Nikollaj, the owner of 6 salon. “A really bad idea from the get-go.”
Nikollaj said he had a front-row seat to one of the most hotly debated issues in the city: back-in parking right outside his business on Washington Avenue.
“They need to do blooper videos of people trying to back up into these spots,” Nikollaj said. “It’s frustrating for people because they’re trying to find a spot, they go to back in, then have the person behind you that’s laying on the horn. You look at some of these drivers, they’re so frustrated.”
After four years of complaints, the community’s input is being taken into account as the city considers three possible new parking vendors to replace the current system.
City officials have interviewed with the new vendors, and on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, they will host two “community parking open houses.” Here is that information:
- 8-11 a.m. Wednesday at the Senior Community Center, 3500 Marais Avenue.
- 5-8 p.m. Wednesday at the Royal Oak Farmer’s Market, 316 E. 11 Mile Road.
During these open houses, residents can speak with the vendors, ask questions, and learn more about the prospective parking systems. They’ll also be able to explore and test the technologies while providing feedback about what they’d like to see in terms of public parking.
“Honestly, just go back to the old way,“ Nikollaj said. ”If it’s not broke, let’s not try to fix it. They have meters in Birmingham. It works great. No one complains about it.”
Business owners said they’ve felt the effects of people who don’t want to come to the area because they’re intimidated by the parking situation.
