Downtown Royal Oak’s Washington Ave. Returns to Pull-in Parking

For those who love to hate the back-in parking on Washington Ave., a new day is coming in downtown Royal Oak.

The City of Royal Oak has announced that the back-in, angled parking spaces on Washington Ave. between 4th St. and Lincoln Ave. will be replaced with traditional pull-in spaces.

The work of repainting the parking lines is set to begin on Monday, Oct. 6. It will be performed by PK Contracting of Troy.

"Washington parking will now have the same design and process as our other downtown streets, offering a more straightforward user experience," said Royal Oak City Manager Joseph Gacioch. "Parking will be fast and easy, which is exactly as it should be."

Park Free Through the Holidays

As an added bonus, once the repainting is complete, the newly restored pull-in parking spaces will be free through January 2, 2026.

This applies to the former back-in spaces on Washington Ave. between 4th St. and Lincoln Ave.; other downtown parking will remain metered and paid. The free spaces will have their meters covered to differentiate.

"If you haven't been downtown recently, consider this our invitation to you," said Gacioch.

Change on the Horizon

The return of pull-in parking on Washington Ave. is just the first in a series of larger changes coming to parking in downtown Royal Oak.

This summer, the City Commission approved a new parking system featuring ParkMobile and Flowbird. New technology will be installed throughout late November and December, with the new system launching downtown-wide on Jan. 2.

The names ParkMobile and Flowbird may sound familiar, and that's with good reason. ParkMobile is widely used throughout our area, including in Detroit and Birmingham. The same app is used for all-so if you've used ParkMobile to park for a game in Detroit, you're already set. Similarly, Flowbird meters are used in Detroit and Ferndale, and are highly rated for their ease of use. The meters were overwhelmingly favored by users during a series of technology-testing open houses held by the City in May.

Keep up with the changes in real time by following www.romi.gov/parking.