after being in a few other metros recently, raleighs parking is minor league prices.
when i travel i always think park and walk. its kinda fun that way really. if you don’t want to figure out a new metro areas transit system on the fly.
Agreed. I’ve been in garages where the first 3 hours are a $21 rate and then go up from there. If you’re there for 1 hour, it’s still $21.
Not to mention some garages in other cities I’ve been to have open/closed hours meaning if you didn’t pay attention, you may not be able to get to your car until the next morning.
I suspect that willingness to pay higher parking fees is especially correlated to ticketed events. It’s easy to imagine that someone with an event to attend will not second guess the price of parking as much as someone who’s more casual and flexible about coming downtown. As a downtown resident who doesn’t drive here, this is just my guess.
When I go to events downtown (concerts at RedHat of PEPAC) I park on the on Wilmington Street and have never had to pay Walking 2 extra blocks saves $$
Where don’t you pay these days? Maybe HS band concerts, but at least here in small town Alabama you pay for pretty much every sporting event, college or high school. I think a large part of the issue is unfamiliarity and lack of certainty. I know my wife doesn’t like to do something unless she knows exactly how the transportation and parking is going to play out.
I suspect that there are lots of folks who feel like your wife does. Ability to walk distances, how fancy one is dressed, inclement weather, feeling safe, etc. are likely all factors that play into people wanting certainty regarding parking.
Nothing will make me want to visit a place less than being made to DOWNLOAD AN APP to park there lmao. I’m with the boomers on these ones - same goes for the QR code menus at restaurants
I have used the Passport app for downtown parking.
Easy to use. Handy to monitor time remaining and add time to the “meter” without even getting up.
Beats cueing up for the pay station. Can instead pay from the comfort of your car.
Sooooo Muuuch Opportunity, Zero Displacement
bUtTheREiSNoTeNOugHPARKING!!!
BIG PARKING NEWS
Raleigh City Council approved a pilot for free 2-hour parking in 5 city-owned decks starting November through early 2025!
This decision stems from a recommendation in our Economic Development Strategy to better support small businesses and attract visitors downtown.
Best part is? The pilot aims to begin mid-November, just in time for all the holiday shopping and festivities kicking-off downtown.
As this is a pilot program, ongoing community participation and support is crucial for its long-term success. We encourage everyone to take advantage of this improved access opportunity and support the local businesses it aims to benefit.
I will still continue to park on the street, for free, as I’ve done for well over a decade LOL. In all seriousness, this is great news! I just can’t ever take people seriously when they say there’s “not enough parking” or it’s “too expensive” - now I DEFINITELY won’t
Parking is too expensive. It’s an extra tax on a cup of coffee or a sandwich. Free parking and plenty of it, is the answer. If I’m going to have to go out of my way to find a parking deck, then walk to my destination, I sure do not want to pay for that inconvenience.
How is this being implemented? Is the city just paying Mclauren like they had people paying for parking? Or did they find some way to do this at no cost (other than not putting money away for deck maintenance)?
I doubt this will last very long. I predict that council gets a report either next year or the year after about how they can’t service their debt on the parking decks as much as they used to. One fix? Remove this 2-hour free parking. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Now, how do we get people to know to park there versus private lots which charge so much more?
I’m wondering if this isn’t part of the plan. Creating awareness: There are complaints that there isn’t enough parking. City points out decks where parking will be free for 2 hours. Eventually it reverts (regardless of reason); those that already park downtown without issue will be sad for the reduced free parking options… Those that weren’t really aware before but know now - “hey, there’s plenty of parking.”
I’ve actually thought about this a lot. It’s weird. Nowadays, when people are using their GPS to go downtown, they put in the business address and then try to find parking close-by.
That’s a huge inefficient mistake. Sometimes it works out if you find street parking, but most of the time it doesn’t. You’re just going to park in the first garage you drive past.
People should know what parking deck is closest to their business and put that in their GPS instead. Whenever I drive to Durham, I’m going on ChatGPT and asking for the closest non-private parking garage to my intended destination. It makes it super simple.
There are so many crappy and predatory parking lots around downtown that ruin the experience for many people. I don’t know if it’s an app or just a training thing. But, it’s made my life so much easier.
Unfortunate but true