The City of Austin issued 643 parking tickets at meters on the first evening of extended meter hours. While the new meter hours went into effect in early September, the City began issuing $20 tickets for violations in early October.
The new rules are complicated:
– There are unique rules for the 3,000 downtown parking spaces between I-35 and Lamar and Lady Bird Lake and 10th street
– If you park downtown, you must now pay from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays , from 8 a.m. to midnight Thursdays and Fridays, and from 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturdays .
– Outside the downtown zone, meter charges apply from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays .
– Sunday parking remains free citywide.
If you park downtown — make sure to check the signs to make sure that you are paying at the appropriate time!
The rules were put in place to free up additional downtown parking for evening visitors. The City was concerned that downtown services workers were occupying most of the parking downtown parking spaces — making it harder for businesses to lure customers downtown.
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