Don’t feed the meter: Columbia makes parking free for limited time. Here’s when and where
Columbia drivers will get a temporary reprieve from paying to park. The city is making street parking and surface lot parking free until March 10, while it implements new parking systems that will include a rate increase after the free period ends.
In December, the city council gave final approval to increase parking rates across the city – the first time in the current parking system’s lifetime, city leaders said.
The new rates were initially set to go into effect March 1, but the city is giving drivers a grace period while it makes the switch, according to the city’s social media.
When the new rates do take effect, they will include:
- On-street parking: going from $0.75 per hour to $1.50 per hour.
- Daily meter reservation: going from $10 to $25
- Residential owner-occupant vehicle permit: going from $5 per vehicle to $30 per vehicle.
- Tickets for expired/unpaid meters: going from $8 to $25.
With the new rates, the city stands to raise millions of dollars over the next several years, which will be used to further improve parking equipment, garages and other elements of the parking system in the city, city leaders have said.
In addition to raising parking rates, the city is also installing new pay stations at various points on Main Street that allow a person to pay for parking using a credit card. Drivers can also continue to use the Passport parking app.
To see all of Columbia’s new parking rates, visit parking.columbiasc.gov.
