A line of parking meters is pictured in this file photo from May 2007.

Lawrence city commissioners are set to have their first meeting with the consultants hired to help them fix longstanding parking issues in the core of the city.

At their work session Tuesday, commissioners and consultants will discuss an ongoing parking study, which will inform the city’s first strategic parking plan. Mayor Leslie Soden said the scope of the study, which includes downtown and 12 surrounding neighborhoods, will take a comprehensive look at all of the areas that have parking problems.

“If we try to fix parking in just one area, sometimes all it does is just shift it to another area and create problems there,” Soden said. “So I think taking a comprehensive look overall at all of the parking is very helpful.”

The strategic parking plan will affect parking in those areas for years to come. The goal is for the plan to guide the operation and development of the parking system in downtown and adjacent neighborhoods for the next five to 10 years. Those neighborhoods, such as Old West Lawrence, the Oread Neighborhood and East Lawrence, include areas affected by the influx of residents (and cars) brought by student populations and new development.

Soden said although the study needs to deal with the reality of the current parking needs, she would also like the discussion to consider the role an improved public transit systems could play in the future.

“Because getting people out of their cars and walking or biking or taking the bus, that needs to be a realistic alternative,” Soden said. “And for a lot of people, transit right now is more of a last resort choice of transportation than an excellent alternative.”

Soden said although she thinks the bus system does a good job of getting students to campus, it should do a better job of getting people around the entire town.

The city’s public parking systems downtown currently include metered spaces, free two-hour lots, permitted 10-hour lots, and three parking garages. Generally, there is no requirement for new development downtown to provide additional parking, and no permitting systems are in place for the on-street parking in adjacent neighborhoods.

Tuesday’s work session comes on the heels of nine meetings that were held in January to gather input from a variety of groups affected by parking in the core of the city, including business owners, residents and developers. The work session will also include another opportunity for the public to provide feedback to city staff and the parking consultants, Desman Design Management.

In other business, commissioners will:

• Meet in executive session as part of mediation in the lawsuit filed by the City of Lawrence alleging Oread hotel developer Thomas Fritzel engaged in a fraudulent tax scheme.

• Review the final draft of the Parks and Recreation Department’s Master Plan.

Because of the executive session, the commission will meet earlier than usual, beginning at 3:30 p.m. The discussion regarding the parking study is scheduled to begin at about 5:45 p.m. at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.