The Manitou Springs City Council on Sept. 20 is set to decide whether or not to raise parking fees near popular hiking destinations.

The council on Tuesday moved to its next meeting agenda a resolution that would double hourly rates along Ruxton Avenue, where many Manitou Incline users park, and also double the cost for Pikes Peak hikers to leave their cars up the road in the Barr Trail lot.

The city’s Parking Authority Board has suggested rates along Ruxton Avenue increase from $5 an hour to $10 and that the entire street be reserved for residents only on the weekends. Currently on Saturdays and Sundays, non-residents can pay to park on lower Ruxton, south of Winter Street. Also if the board’s suggestions are approved in two weeks, violation fees on the street would increase to $70, $100 and $150 for first-, second- and third-time offenders, respectively.

Parking at Barr Trail would be $20 a day, up from $10. Hikers who stay at Barr Camp would be able to bring validation to City Hall for a $15 refund, up from $5.

Less than a year ago, the cost to park on Ruxton Avenue for an hour was $1. Even as municipal leaders say the $5 fee increase resulted in lesser traffic, residents in the corridor have continued to complain of congestion and ruckus brought by recreationalists. In 2013, the city began a free shuttle ride to the Incline from east of Manitou’s downtown. But it hasn’t done much to quell those complaints along Ruxton, which is also home to the Pikes Peak Cog Railway.

“It’s gotten out of control,” Ruxton resident Jeff Bieri said at Tuesday’s council meeting. “It’s hard to deal with – it really is.”

While one thought would be to make roadside parking reserved for residents every day of the week – doing away with parking fees entirely – some at City Hall worry what message that would send to visiting tourists. And one member of the Parking Authority Board, Bill Koerner, believes additional revenue from the raises could be wisely spent. Koerner, who lives on Ruxton and is an outspoken proponent of the Incline as advocacy director of the Trails and Open Space Coalition, says the money could go toward the shuttle system, which was started thanks to federal grants.

Manitou Mayor Nicole Nicoletta has insisted that raises would not be the city’s attempt at a revenue grab, that they would only represent the city’s attempt to restore quality of life to Ruxton residents.

“It’s important that people recognize the council makes these decisions with Manitou residents in mind first, but certainly we care about our tourists and recreational assets,” she said. “It’s not about punishing anybody. It’s about trying to manage this very popular amenity.”

If changes are approved Sept. 20, they would go into effect immediately. The Incline is currently closed for repairs and is scheduled to reopen in December.

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Twitter: @SethBoster