There’s plenty of parking available downtown, night or day – you just have to know where to look.

That was the result of a city study released last fall.

But if you are trying to score a spot on Massachusetts Street near your final destination, you may feel a bit cheated.

“There’s not enough,” said Christa Webster, an elementary school music teacher in Lawrence. “I always have trouble finding a spot on Massachusetts.”

However, city parking attendants who kept track of open spaces in the 19 short- and long-term lots and a parking garage, all available to the public, from January to October 2007, proved looking beyond Massachusetts Street may get you where you want to go quicker.

There are some simple tips to follow for finding a spot, whether you are passing through town, meeting a date or running late for work.

For starters, the parking garage at Ninth and New Hampshire streets offers the most spaces the most hours in the day.

The survey showed that the 135-space parking lot routinely had a vacancy rate of more than 95 percent.

Since the survey was made public, Jane Pennington, director of Downtown Lawrence Inc., said downtown employees are beginning to use the garage more, which should alleviate parking on the street level.

To encourage employees even more, on Jan. 8, city commissioners agreed to convert the top deck of the parking garage at Ninth and New Hampshire streets into a free, 10-hour parking lot.

For a quick trip, say to pick up a smoothie or a coffee, consider one of nine free two-hour lots downtown.

“When we do come downtown, we stroll down Massachusetts Street,” said Rick Lange, a technician from Lansing. “If we can’t find a spot we always come back here (to the two-hour lot at Ninth and Vermont streets). There’s almost always open spots.”

Pennington also recommended walking through the breezeways between some lots and Massachusetts Street to cut time.

Good places to quickly pass over are the back of businesses on Massachusetts and the two-hour free lot west of Massachusetts Street and south of Ninth. The survey said there is a high volume of parked vehicles at both at all times of the day.

The next busiest spot is in the 700 block of Vermont Street, which is nearly 100 percent full in the afternoon and evening.

The morning is the best time to catch a spot in the two-hour free lots between Ninth and Seventh streets on the east side of Massachusetts.

Be sure to bring some change if you do find a spot along Massachusetts or the other 10-meter lots. However, the city encourages employees to park in the long-term lots. You get an hour for one quarter and 24 minutes for a dime. Be sure to pay the right meter, because the arrows on them can be confusing, said Pennington.

Tickets for parking violations are issued between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. There is a $2 fine that can be raised to $10 plus court costs if left unpaid after 10 days.