Goodbye, free. Charlotte puts brakes on this longtime parking perk. What to know.
Charlotte is about to end a longtime public parking perk.
Starting March 25, Saturday on-street parking will no longer be free at meters. Sundays will still be free.
City officials say the new measure has nothing to do with any revenue need.
Rather, metered parking should keep people from hogging increasingly in-demand spaces all day in uptown and South End, according to the Charlotte Department of Transportation.
An ongoing parking study by the city revealed that forcing drivers to plunk their nickels, dimes and quarters into meters on Saturdays will create much-needed parking turnover, according to a CDOT statement Friday.
That, in turn, will make it easier for drivers to get to uptown and South End businesses and venues “during this high-demand day,” CDOT officials said.
Over the summer, the city paused its plan to add Saturday as a paid parking day to hear more from the public and further study the idea.
The city will update parking signs as early as Monday, March 13, so drivers know they must fork over their change on Saturdays as well.
Uptown has about 1,200 on-street parking spaces., according to CDOT. Most center city spaces cost $1.50 an hour.
Meters are monitored 7 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays but not on weekends and most holidays, although that will change for Saturdays.
Expect a $25 ticket if you fail to pay or or if you exceed your allotted time at a metered space.
Learn more about Charlotte parking by visiting the city’s website, CharlotteNC.gov.
This story was originally published March 11, 2023 at 9:32 AM.