On-Street Parking
On-street parking is available for short-term parking needs. There are 800 metered on-street spaces, plus loading zones and unmetered on-street spaces. Metered parking time limits range from 30 minutes to ten hours. Most meters allow one- to two-hour parking. Regular meters accept only quarters, according to these rates:
Single-Space Meter Rates
| Type of Meter |
30-minute |
1-hour |
2-hour |
9-hour |
10-hour |
| Time per Quarter |
30 minutes |
1 hour |
1 hour |
3 hours |
2.5 hours |
Pay Station Rates
|
Less than |
|
|
|
| Time Period |
1 hour |
1 hour |
2 hours |
3 hours |
| Cost |
25¢ |
50ยข |
$1 |
$2 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
More than |
| Time Period |
4 hours |
5 hours |
6 hours |
6 hours |
| Cost |
$4 |
$6 |
$8 |
$10 |
Changes in parking downtown
(transcript below)
 
 
Transcript
It is just after 6:00 in the morning and motorists are parking along this strip of Second Street between Main and Church streets. The motorists park, display their handicapped parking sticker, pay nothing at the meter, and go into their office buildings.
As the street is filled in by 8:00 a.m. we see that all but one of the cars parked here is displaying a handicapped placard. We see them all still here at 10:00 a.m., at noon, and at 3:00 p.m.
But a new parking ordinance will change this in at least 2 areas of downtown.
"Our on-street parking we try to keep short-term to allow folks who are going to restaurants and businesses around town who need short-term parking to get in and get out quickly." Rodd Ring works for the city's Department of Transportation. He's implementing the city's new on-street parking pilot. It eliminates individual meters and places a solar-powered pay station in the center of the block. All parkers, including those with handicapped placards, have to pay. The change includes a new fee structure. Park for a short time, like an hour, and the fee is close to what you would pay at an individual meter. Park for longer periods of time, and the rate increases to about what you would pay in a parking deck. "We are embracing a newer technology. Pay stations are in use in other cities ... I know Charlotte has quite a number of them. It allows customers to pay using various modes such as cash, coin, and credit card (Visa and Mastercard)." Ring hopes the changes will discourage the current parking habits, making it easier for people looking for space near the courthouse, federal building, and the jail, to find parking here.
The other area of focus is this portion of Main Street between Second and Third. This area is currently listed as a loading zone only. That means there is no handicapped parking allowed. It also has a 30-minute time limit, and customers here at the courthouse say sometimes that's just not enough.
For WSTV 13, I'm Ed McNeal.
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