SEATTLE — The Seattle Department of Transportation will begin revising on-street parking rates and hours of operation in various parts of Seattle.
Crews will reprogram parking pay stations starting on First Hill with the goal of completing the work city-wide by the end of the year.
>> SLIDESHOW: Where is Seattle's street parking the most expensive?
Guided by the recently completed 2015 Annual Paid Parking Study, SDOT will make 22 different rate and other on-street parking management changes in 15 areas. Specifically, the department will:
- Lower parking rates in five areas
- Raise parking rates in twelve areas
- Install new pay stations in eight different rate areas and adjust rates by time of day
- Extend evening paid parking hours in three areas to 8 p.m. instead of 6 p.m.
- Pull back evening paid parking hours in one area to 6 p.m.
Starting the second week of August, the paid parking hours of operation in First Hill will extend to 8 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. The 2015 Annual Paid Parking Study found that street parking occupancy at 7 p.m. was at 99 percent. This is above the target occupancy range set in Seattle Municipal code to keep one to two spaces open and available per block.
As part of all of these changes, SDOT will install signs at the pay stations and orange flags that alert parkers of parking changes on the block. These are part of abroad-based "Play Like a Parking Pro" public education campaign that aims to help people understand Seattle's parking system so that they can make smarter transportation decisions.
KIRO
