New parking protocols in downtown Burlington extend enforcement until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, city officials announced Friday. The cost of parking in the downtown core is also going up.
The new rules, which took effect Saturday, come with new “smart” meters installed in the downtown district (from Cherry to Main streets and Pine Street to South Winooski Avenue). The rate for smart meters is $1.50 per hour, with no time limit. The new meters accept credit and debit cards, as well as coins (but no bills).
Parking outside the downtown core will be unchanged, including free parking after 6 p.m. and on Sundays and holidays.
Two-hour free parking in all city garages also will remain in place. At the Lakeview Garage and College Street Garage, rates have increased by $1, with a daily maximum of $8. Rates at the Marketplace Garage on Cherry Street have increased by $2 per hour, up to $10 per day. An automated lane for drivers with credit cards and two-hour free tickets was also installed at the Marketplace Garage.
Additional changes include a five-minute grace period on every smart meter that runs out of time and a daily internal report to speed repairs. Pending improvements are new signage in 2015 and other aesthetic and security investments in the city’s parking garages.
Community members are invited to respond to the changes at a public forum from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 19 in City Hall’s Contois Auditorium. City officials and parking consultant teams are looking for feedback on all aspects of additional downtown and residential city parking, according to a news release. Changes to date follow more than a year of stakeholder meetings and parking studies.
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said in the release that the revamped parking system will help improve the city’s economy.
“New technology, a more efficient customer experience, and more sustainable parking infrastructure complement our exciting downtown,” Weinberger said. “These changes represent a significant investment in our City’s transportation system and a sustainable, data-driven future.”
Data from the smart meters will enable the city to more closely track parking usage — information that is expected to inform consideration experimentation with rates and enforcement times based on market demand.
The Downtown Parking Improvement Initiative is a collaboration between the Burlington Business Association, the Department of Public Works, the Community and Economic Development Office and the Burlington Police Department, with planning and outreach support from the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission.
For more information, contact Kelly Devine, executive director of the Burlington Business Association, at (802) 863-1175 or director@bbavt.org; Nate Wildfire, assistant director of economic development in the Community and Economic Development Office, at nwildfire@burlingtonvt.gov; or Chapin Spencer, director of the Department of Public Works, at cspencer@burlingtonvt.gov.
