DC parking meter rates increase

WASHINGTON - The cost of parking in D.C. is going up. Starting Wednesday, all parking meters in the city will cost $2.30 an hour.

The D.C. Council approved the measure to make up for lost revenue and could bring in an additional $12 to $14 million in parking fees.

DC Parking Meter Increases | AAA Mid-Atlantic
Premium & Commercial: WAS $2.00 per hour; NOW $2.30 per hour
Normal Parking: WAS $0.75 per hour; NOW $2.30 per hour

"These changes represent a bonanza for the city's coffers, but motorists gain nothing. The city is ripping off motorists without adding a single parking space to the curbside parking inventory. The rate for on-street parking increases to 50 cents for every 13 minutes," said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic's Manager of Public and Government Affairs.

"Beleaguered motorists are already coping with a 20 percent spike in expired meter ticket fines, and a 16.6 percent hike in residential parking ticket fines," explained Townsend. "Expired meter fines increased by $5 eight months ago, as did the fines for parking without the cover of a residential parking permit."

In October, a $5 increase in expired parking meter fines in premium demand zones went into effect. A similar increase in fines for illegally parked vehicles in residential areas was also put into place.