Drivers will soon be able to purchase up to three hours of parking after 5:00 pm at parking meters along the Pike/Pine corridor, a small but significant change that will allow people to pay through the 8:00 pm paid parking cutoff without returning to their cars. Currently, drivers can only pay for two hours of parking at a time.
“This decision was made during the budget process last year in response to community concerns that the two-hour limit was too short for evening activities like dining, a show, or a movie,” explains SDOT spokesman Rick Sheridan. “It will allow visitors to enjoy evening events without having to move their vehicles. For Pike-Pine, we anticipate making these changes in late spring.”
Specific time frames for the change have yet to be set. However, Capitol Hill is just one neighborhood affected by the parking tweak—it will be systematically rolled out this spring and summer in every neighborhood where paid parking was extended to 8:00 pm in 2011.
Mayor Mike McGinn foreshadowed the change in his state of the city address last month.
