Tag Archives: Parking Meters

Talkin' Transit
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Talkin’ Transit: Parking Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘281|365’
courtesy of ‘Danilo.Lewis|Fotography’

I hate parking meters. I think they’re an awful concept. Not because they make you pay for what you use, but rather how they make you pay for it: with change.  As rates have increased in the downtown core to $2/hr, it means that you need to carry with you rolls and rolls of quarters if you’re going to do any parking in the core that isn’t in a garage.

We started to see pay-by-phone metering last year, with a number of trials in Dupont Circle and in Foggy Bottom with a pair of services that work on a zone-based system.  Call a number, enter a credit card (the first time) and then enter the zone where you’re parked.  Bam, you’re good for as long as you’re within the limit for the zone.  If you only intend to stay for 50 minutes, that’s all you pay for, instead of the potential for overpaying at a traditional coin meter.  It’s a revolution.

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Downtown, The Daily Feed, The District
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Meters Up! (No Joke)

Photo courtesy of
‘Renovated Museum of American History in DC’
courtesy of ‘EvinDC’

Reminder to everyone that DC parking meter rates are increasing this month, starting today. If the meter was a $1/hr, it’s going to $2/hr. All other meters are going up .25, so .50/hr meters are going to .75/hr and so on.

DDOT said they are in the process of updated all the 15,453 meters in the District to reflect the rate increases, and are expected to be updated by April 30.

Arlington, The Daily Feed
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Goodbye Parking Meters

Disabled parking meters

If you’re used to parking your car in the lot outside of Murky Coffee all day, it’s time to find a new parking spot.

Arlington has been replacing parking meters with “Pay and Display” meters.  These new boxes take the old coins (which was my last refuge for all my spare change) and also accept dollar bills and credit cards.  So running out of change is no longer a good excuse.

After a successful test run in other locations (outside the shops at Clarendon was one) they are expanding the program to other areas.  Yesterday, they modified the large parking lot that runs from St. Charles Church to Murky Coffee.

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