The 100 block of Prince Street. Photo contributed
If you get ticketed, don’t say you weren’t warned.
For years it’s been possible to avoid metered parking along King Street and adjacent streets by parking for free for two hours on the residential streets nearby. Starting on July 14, new parking restrictions are going into place along the 100 block of Prince Street to change that. Along the cobblestone slope between Union and Lee Streets, new restrictions require any vehicle without a District 1 residential parking permit to pay to park on the block for up to two hours. Those choosing to park and pay can either use the pay-by-phone app Pango or pay at a local meter.
The new restrictions are part of the pay by phone pilot program approved by the City Council in November 2016. According to city staff, the goal of the pilot program is to provide adequate on-street parking for residents by encouraging non-residential parkers to park in metered or garage spaces by eliminating the free two-hour parking on the residential blocks.
The cost for the meters is the same as surrounding blocks, $1.75 per hour. The meters don’t apply to district permit holders or guests with district passes. Date-specific guest passes can be obtained at City Hall or printed online.
The pilot program expires in March 2019, but city staff will evaluate before-and-after parking conditions on the block to determine the program’s effectiveness.
“We will evaluate how this has worked on all of the blocks and if it’s an effective tool to help manage parking,” said Katye North, principal parking planner. “At that time we will determine whether it should be expanded to other areas or removed from the Code. If we keep this in the Code, the restrictions on 100 Prince could be permanent unless petitioned to be removed by the residents.“
For a street to qualify, 50 percent of the residents on both sides of the block must petition to join the program. The blocks must be adjacent to existing metered or pay-by-phone blocks and must have recurring 75 percent parking occupancy. If a block does have this, it can be reviewed by the Traffic and Parking Board to potentially have its residential spaces metered.
A petition to add parking restrictions is available through the city website at www.alexandriava.gov/Parking. Questions about the program can be directed to katye.north@alexandriava.gov. Completed petitions should be mailed to Department of Transportation and Environmental Services at 301 King Street, Room 3600 Alexandria, VA 22314.