The City of Orange currently enforces a 2-hour maximum on paid parking around the Orange Circle. While intended to improve turnover, this policy is actively harming local businesses, disrupting community activities, and discouraging visitors from spending meaningful time in Old Towne Orange.

We are asking the City Council to remove the 2-hour parking limit—or, at minimum, allow visitors to extend their parking time through the parking app.

This is not about avoiding payment. Visitors are willing to pay for parking. The issue is being forced to interrupt their experience every two hours to move their car—often needing to relocate to an entirely different street. That is unreasonable, disruptive, and ultimately drives people away.

This policy impacts far more than short visits:

Students and Classes

Local workshops and classes frequently run longer than two hours. Students are forced to leave in the middle of instruction to move their cars, breaking focus and diminishing the experience. In many cases, they cannot return to the same spot and must search for parking elsewhere. Some have stopped attending classes altogether because the parking situation has become too stressful and impractical.

Restaurants and Shopping

Visitors who want to enjoy a meal and then shop simply cannot do so without interruption. A relaxed lunch followed by browsing local stores becomes a rushed and fragmented experience. As a result, many people choose to go to other cities where they can park once and enjoy their time without disruption.

Community Gatherings and Events

Old Towne Orange is home to churches, social clubs, and community events that often last several hours. Wedding receptions, birthday parties, bridal and baby showers—events that once contributed to the local economy—are now being hosted in other cities that offer free parking or allow extended paid parking.

People attending these events are not going to leave every two hours to move their vehicles. They simply won’t come.

Local Businesses

Bars, restaurants, antique shops, studios, and event spaces depend on visitors staying longer and fully engaging in what Old Towne offers. Instead of increasing turnover, the 2-hour limit discourages customers from coming at all.

Visitors will always choose convenience. They will go where they can extend parking easily through an app—or where parking is unrestricted—rather than deal with repeated interruptions.

The Reality

No one is going to repeatedly walk back to their car, move it to another street, and return to what they were doing. That is not how people spend a relaxing afternoon.

Visitors who drive from places like Los Angeles to spend the day shopping in antique stores are not going to move their car multiple times—or even once. If they have to go back to their car, they are far more likely to leave altogether. And if they return to find an $85 parking ticket, they are even less likely to ever come back.

This is not a pricing issue—it is a convenience issue. People will gladly pay for a seamless experience. In fact, many would willingly pay more—just as they would for valet—if it meant they could enjoy their day without interruption.

There is no meaningful benefit to limiting parking to two (or even three) hours if it forces customers to leave in the middle of lunch, an art class, a lecture, or a football game at a local sports bar. People will not adapt to this inconvenience—they will avoid it entirely by choosing another destination.

A Lose-Lose Policy

The current system creates a lose-lose situation for visitors, businesses, and the city’s economy. It reduces foot traffic, shortens visits, and pushes revenue to neighboring cities with more practical parking solutions.

Our Request

We respectfully ask the City of Orange to support its local businesses and community by:

• Removing the 2-hour parking maximum in Old Towne Orange, or

• Allowing visitors to extend parking time beyond two hours through the parking app.

Old Towne Orange is a destination meant to be enjoyed—for dining, shopping, classes, and community connection. Parking policies should encourage people to stay longer, not push them away

Please sign this petition and urge the City Council to reconsider the 2-hour parking limit.