Raleigh unveils pay stations for downtown parking

Officials are installing 173 pay stations in the area bounded by Edenton, South, Blount and Harrington streets and in the Glenwood South area. In the fall, about 20 more will be placed along Hillsborough Street between Oberlin Road and Gardner Street.

Some of the parking spaces in those areas have been metered in the past, while others have been free in the past. City officials have said they hope that requiring people to pay for parking will discourage people from occupying on-street spaces for extended periods.

"These kinds of parking meters are in use throughout the country. It's an easier technology and, hopefully, after a short transition period, it will become second nature to folks who are parking downtown," Mayor Charles Meeker said.

In addition to the change traditionally associated with parking meters, the pay stations will accept Visa and Mastercard payments. The minimum payment amount for credit card users will be $1.

Each parking space will be numbered, and a single pay station will handle payments for several spaces within a block.

The pay stations won't require payments between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. weekdays and on weekends, when on-street parking is free, but people arriving after 6 a.m. weekdays can pre-pay for their parking, with the pay stations charging against the payment after 8 a.m.

Downtown visitors can use the stations to pay for parking time in 15-minute increments, from 25 cents for 15 minutes up to $2 for two hours, depending on how much time is allowed for a particular parking space.