The City of Raleigh increased the price of some of the parking meters downtown.
On Sept. 30, rates in the purple zone downtown increased from $1.00 to $1.25 for hourly parking, 25 cents to 50 cents for 15-minute spaces and 50 cents to 75 cents for 30-minute parking spaces, according to the Raleigh Public Record. The purple zone includes the area bounded by Morgan, Wilmington, Lenoir and Salisbury streets, with Fayetteville Street running through the middle.
Gordon Dash, Raleigh’s parking administrator, said the purple zone has the highest demand for parking in the downtown core because of the business generators. Shops, services, restaurants, entertainment and the courthouse draw many people downtown.
“The rationale for the rate increase is that the more in demand a commodity becomes, the higher the cost,” Dash said. “In parking, this means that the cost to park closer to the point of destination and walk less should cost more than to park farther away and walk more.”
Dash said there has not been one complaint about the increase since it went into effect.
Rates in other parts of the city, including Hillsborough Street and zones surrounding N.C. State, currently remain unchanged.
“This may spread over time, depending on where the demand increases substantially,” Dash said. “Rate increases are only implemented as a tool to manage the resource, and there is no plan to extend a rate increase in any other zone for the time being.”
Dash said people interested in parking downtown should consider parking one of several parking decks if they expect their visit to last more than two hours. Daily rates are $1 per 30 minutes up to $12 per day.
“On-street, metered parking in any city is only intended for short term usage, up to 2 hours max, although in some scattered areas the time limit is less because of the nature of the businesses that are served by those particular spaces and which rely on a quicker turnover,” Dash said.
Dash said that city law requires that no vehicle can remain parked beyond the maximum time limit, which is the reason why refeeding the meter is not permitted. Doing so will result in a citation even if the driver paid for more time.
“The decks are intended for longer term parking and they are conveniently situated throughout the downtown area so that most people can walk to their destinations within 10 minutes and they will not have to be concerned about getting a citation,” Dash said.
