Report: More DC parking tickets issued closer to downtown, entertainment areas

WASHINGTON - A new map is showing where you are most likely to get a parking ticket in the nation's capital. This breakdown comes as more commuters are turning to driving amid Metro's SafeTrack maintenance project that is greatly affecting rail service.

The blog Greater Greater Washington crunched the numbers and said parking enforcement is most concentrated in areas such as Georgetown as well as Logan Circle and the 14th Street corridor.

According to a map posted on the blog showing more than 148,000 parking tickets issued in Washington D.C. during June of last year, the bulk of those tickets were handed out closer to downtown and the "District's densely-populated, higher-income residential neighborhoods and entertainment areas."

Linda Grant, a spokesperson for the D.C. Department of Public Works, said in a statement:

"The District of Columbia is a destination city and curbside parking along commercial corridors as well as in residential neighborhoods is very competitive. The article's findings reflect the competition for parking. The role of the Department of Public Works' parking program is to help manage that competition by enforcing parking regulations that promote turnover along commercial streets and residents' access to parking in their neighborhoods. In both instances, we are encouraging motorists to take their turn at the curb, then move when their time is up. DPW urges residents, commuters and visitors to take advantage of alternative forms of transportation, including Metrorail and bus, Capital Bikeshare, carpooling and walking."

Some D.C. area commuters we spoke with said that signage can be misleading and the concentrated enforcement in high-demand areas makes parking in the District a hassle.

"I try to park in the garage or far away from here," Rana Bilal told us about parking in the Georgetown area.

"It's very aggressively enforced," said Arlington resident John Most.