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Starting this winter, Boston drivers may be paying premium rates for city meters in certain high-traffic areas – following the lead of other cities that charge up to $7 per hour – under a new plan now under evaluation, city officials said today.
Might it cost $7 an hour to park on certain Boston streets in the near future?
“At $1.25 an hour, our meters are 3 to 5 times cheaper than other cities'”, Walsh said.
“San Francisco did something similar”, Walsh told reporters. It’s not helping anyone. “We are still in the process of looking at it – it’s not going to be to the point where people are discouraged from parking”. “We’re going to take advantage of the planning momentum the bid created”.
On Wednesday, Walsh said the city would create a pricing plan modeled after San Francisco, which has dynamically priced its meters since 2011 and also regularly rolls out meter rate adjustments.
“Tricia brings years of experience to this position”, said Mayor Walsh.
“We got a chance to look at our handsome city through the world’s eyes – in all its greatness and in all its untapped potential”, Walsh said. Around Fenway Park your parking meter is $1.25 an hour yet parking lots making $50 for a game. The hike would apply to the areas of the city like Fenway Park and the Back Bay.
Earlier this year, Boston announced they will replace parking meters in the city with updated ones and even launched a new mobile app to help customers pay. But the prices are also met with grumbling from drivers who think on-street parking has become too expensive.
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In general, San Francisco officials say that kind of pricing has helped drivers with on-street parking: In the areas where the city piloted the program, drivers reported that it took 43 percent less time to find a space, compared to 13 percent less time in other areas.
