You might pay more to park in Columbia in the near future

There’s a good chance we could all start paying more to park in Columbia later this year.

The city is taking a look at the rates it charges for on-street and garage parking, citations, permits and other rates, with increases likely to be proposed by this summer, parking director Elle Matney said.

The cost of parking in Columbia is “below market value,” Matney told City Council members last week, as she alluded to proposed rate increases in the near future.

The cost of parking in Columbia is both more and less than in some other South Carolina cities.

For example, in Columbia, it costs 75 cents an hour to park at metered spaces, a maximum of $10 a day to park in a city-owned garage and $8 to pay a ticket for an expired meter. Monthly rates for reserved garage spaces range from $52 to $105.

By comparison, in Charleston, it also costs $1 an hour to park at metered spaces, a maximum of $16 a day to park in a city garage and $14 for a ticket for an expired meter.

In Myrtle Beach, metered spaces cost $1.50 or $2 an hour, or $8-$10 a day in some places. Parking is free in city garages. And a ticket for an expired meter costs $30.

It’s cheaper to park in Greenville, though. There are no parking meters. Street parking is free for up to two hours in some spots, and the fine is $8 for overstaying the allowed parking time on the street. City garages cost a maximum of $7.50 a day, plus all garages are free for the first hour of parking.

Matney could not say exactly what higher rates in Columbia might look like, as city staff is still analyzing parking rates, she told The State.

The city also plans to crack down harder on collecting fees from overdue citations, Matney told council.

Paying more for parking in Columbia, Matney told council, would be “truly investing in our own growth and future innovation.”

Increased parking revenues would go toward lighting, signs and upkeep of garages and future new parking technology that perhaps could include credit card-reading meters and on-street pay stations someday, Matney said. “Being able to provide parking meters at some point in the future that allow credit cards would be a huge win,” she said.

This story was originally published April 7, 2017 at 5:50 PM with the headline "You might pay more to park in Columbia in the near future."