Parking meters to be installed along Tacoma Avenue South

August 29, 2014 2:35 pm
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Parking meters to be installed along Tacoma Avenue South

Drivers who plan to visit the County-City Building, the main branch of the Tacoma Public Library, or the WorkSource Pierce Career Center will soon be required to pay to park along a five-block section of Tacoma Avenue South.

Beginning on Mon., Sept. 22, metered on-street parking will go into effect along Tacoma Avenue South between South 9th Street and South 14th Street. Spots will have two-hour time limits with the same one-dollar-per-hour rate as downtown Tacoma. The pay stations will be the same as those used throughout downtown, taking both coins and credit cards.

The change is being made following a recommendation made by the City of Tacoma’s Parking Technical Advisory Group, which consists of volunteer citizens and business owners who review current parking policies and periodically make recommendations for changes to the policies.

“Paid on-street parking was, and still is, designed to encourage those staying longer to use alternative transportation or off-street parking options,” said Parking Technical Advisory Group co-chair Steph Farber. “We’ve looked at our parking survey data and it’s working downtown. We think it’ll work for Tacoma Avenue too.” According to Farber, the on-street paid parking program aims to create greater parking turnover for the benefit of businesses and their customers, clients, and visitors. It also aims to help eliminate having to circle the block to find a parking spot. “We’re making it easier for you to find a spot along Tacoma Avenue,” added Farber. “If you only need to find a spot for a few minutes with the higher turnover you’ll be able to get in and out quickly. Plus, with a longer two-hour limit you’ll have more time to conduct business at the County-City Building, visit the Public Library, or visit other businesses in the area.”

The City of Tacoma most recently implemented on-street paid parking to downtown Tacoma four years ago. The decision to install parking meters along a section of Tacoma Avenue South is the first time the on-street paid program has been expanded since its introduction. Farber and City of Tacoma staff point to a recent study confirming the popularity among drivers and a higher-than-optimal parking demand along the five-block section of Tacoma Avenue South.

If you have comments or questions regarding the program, contact City of Tacoma staff liaison Eric Huseby at (253) 591-5437 or by e-mail at ehuseby@cityoftacoma.org. More information about the the City of Tacoma’s Parking Technical Advisory Group is available online here.

To read the Tacoma Daily Index’s complete and comprehensive coverage of Tacoma parking operations, click on the following links:

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