Six months ago, the City of Austin began charging drivers to park on downtown streets Thursday to Saturday night until midnight. Prior to the change, parking spots would fill-up early in evening — or early in the weekend — and spots would remain full all night. Now it’s much easier to find downtown parking.
According to City, the result of the change has been an increase in parking capacity with room for as many as 6,000 more cars on downtown streets on most weekend nights. With the change, the City reports, long-term parking has moved into garages while short-term parking has stayed on the street. According to KXAN, “Now, people are about three times more likely to find a space on the street to park.”
The additional parking may have boosted business revenue dousing the period, although it is difficult to attribute the corresponding rise in business revenue and taxes during the period to just one source.
Leave a Reply