Raleigh parking meters get more expensive

The city will implement new on-street parking meter rates, beginning next Monday.

The new rates are designed to discourage long-term parking in on-street spaces so there is more turnover, which was one of the objectives of the Downtown Master Parking Plan the City Council approved in January. Turnover of the parking spaces helps attract more business customers and other visitors downtown, officials said.

The rates will allow drivers to purchase smaller increments of time than the traditional one- or two-hour limits, officials said.

Beginning Monday, the new meter rates for on-street parking will be as follows:

• 25 cents for 15 minutes (the minimum amount required to activate the meters)
• 50 cents for 30 minutes
• $1 for one hour
• $2 for two hours