Parking may be free until June 3, but for some, the gates at Des Moines Marina lot are glitching

The gates are now working at the Des Moines Marina north parking lot, but according to some, the system is glitching because of the new ticket machines, and many are having trouble getting out.

As we previously reported, the City of Des Moines is resuming its paid marina parking program on Monday, June 3, 2024, with a two-week grace period with free parking that started Monday, May 20.

During this grace period, drivers entering the marina will need to take a ticket upon entry and use it to exit. This will allow the marina to collect vehicle information for future enforcement.

But on its first trial on Monday, many could be seen having problems exiting the lots, often with a line of cars and frustrated drivers; so we reached out to the city for an explanation.

“There is a learning curve as to where to scan your ticket for people using the new system,” Director of Communications Nicole Nordholm told The Waterland Blog. “People encountering the system for the first time are just taking their time to orient themselves with the interface. We continue to test the new system.”

Photo courtesy David Rosen.