DC to reconsider untenable parking policies

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courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Surprise, surprise. DC is proposing changes to its new parking meter policies because, well, they didn’t work. The DC Department of Transportation is proposing that the meter time limit be lifted after 6:30 PM. Public comments indicated that drivers weren’t offended by having to pay for parking in the evenings, but that the 2 hour time limit on meters made it difficult to engage in activities like dinner out or movies. The meters in high-demand areas would be reprogrammed to accept 4 hours’ worth of quarters after 6:30 so that users don’t have to slip out to feed them.

Council Member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) wants to repeal evening enforcement altogether. Which would be cushy, but I’d be happy with just accelerating the adoption of pay-by-phone and pay-by-credit-card meters along with the increased time limit. Four hours’ worth of quarters is still 32 freaking quarters that I have to have handy if I want to park downtown, which continues to be logistically ridiculous.

Tiffany Baxendell Bridge is an Internet enthusiast and an incurable smartass. When not heckling the neighborhood political scene on Twitter, she can be found goofing off with her ukulele, Bollywood dancing, or obsessing about cult TV. She is That Woman With the Baby In the Bar.

Tiffany lives in Brookland with her husband Tom, son Charlie, and two high-maintenance cats. Read why Tiffany loves DC.

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4 thoughts on “DC to reconsider untenable parking policies”

  1. I’d be ecstatic if they lifted the 10PM enforcement. It’s really ridiculous if you think about it, and you’re right, who carries that many quarters?

    Also, about one in three meters seem to be broken or malfunctioning, which makes it even harder to park.

  3. A lot of the broken meters aren’t apparently broken, they just don’t take credit cards. You put your card in, and then it tells you the card is invalid, after which it refuses to give you back your card. I once saw a guy go borrow some needle-nosed pliers from a nearby shop in order to pry his card out. Three of us then each gave him a quarter to tide him through his errand. This is ridiculous. If it is a new-looking green meter with a card reader, the darn card reader ought to work.

  4. Eh, I don’t know….DC needs the money badly….and I don’t drive so I am being a bit greedy since it doesn’t effect me