Kirkland increases hours for free parking in City-owned lots with “3 for Free – 4 for $4″
Beginning Monday, March 16th, the City of Kirkland will be increasing the number of free parking stalls and the hours of free parking in the two City-owned lots at Lake and Central and Marina Park (Lakeshore) lots. The new parking rules even come with a catchy slogan: 3 for free and 4 for $4.
Parking in Kirkland has been an issue for decades. Some say we have too little, some say we don’t. Some parking is free, other parking is not and this just adds to the confusion. The new 3 for free and 4 for $4 plan applies only to the two downtown lots that the City owns which are known for their confusing parking rules. Starting on the 16th, the new parking rules for these lots will be in effect every day except Sundays and holidays:
- Park for up to three hours for FREE between the hours of 9:00 am to 5:00 pm;
- From 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm there will be a $1 per hour charge;
- After 9:00 pm ALL PARKING IS FREE.
Some have labeled the new parking rules as being discriminatory against restaurant patrons since most dining takes place between the hours of 5:00 pm and 9:00 pm. Employees are not allowed to park downtown and are required to abide by the City’s Park Smart plan.
The Parking Advisory Board will continue its study of parking supply and demand needs to judge the efficacy of the new rules. Additional information is available at the City’s Parking web page.
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Posted by Rob Butcher on Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Filed under Headlines · Tagged with Downtown, Parking
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Hi Rob,
I was at the KAN meeting this week, Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods and heard about the new policy. It’s a great start for Kirkand merchants.
I frequent Kirkland restaurants, and truthfully in the whole scheme of things, a dollar per hour is not bad. More than likely most people who are dining will have finished in two hours or less. There are also many other parking spaces available in town.
Revenue from sales tax was down over 20% last month, so someone has to pay something somewhere to keep our city vibrant. Supporting merchants and restaurants all over the city will help keep tax revenue from declining.
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There will be some discomfort from this change, but I hope that it won’t hurt restaurants. A couple bucks on top of a restaurant tab is trivial. I would rather garb a pay spot close by than have to search for a spot and/or walk a long way in Seattle weather to have dinner.
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