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Sep 30, 2023

What to know about Nashville's new parking meters, stricter enforcement

Nashville is replacing its coin-operated parking meters with "smart" kiosks that

Nashville is replacing its coin-operated parking meters with "smart" kiosks that accept payments through text, credit card and cash.

Metro officials say the system overhaul will coincide with stricter, more consistent enforcement of the street parking laws already on city books.

Metro Council approved a five-year contract with Georgia-based LAZ Parking on Tuesday to take over management of the "smart parking" program. The company will oversee the installation of the new Metro-owned meters, which will roll out over the next several months. Increased enforcement, education, new signage and some other aspects of the program may begin before the upgraded meters are installed.

The company will also provide additional parking enforcement staff to manage the meters. City officials say this will allow Nashville's Department of Transportation employees to focus more on enforcing street parking safety rules (think vehicles parked in bike lanes) and programs that limit non-resident street parking in neighborhoods.

NDOT plans to ramp up enforcement of the smart parking program with a "soft launch" focused on education over several weeks to avoid giving a "true shock" to the public, who have become used to "gambling and winning" when it comes to following parking rules, NDOT Director Diana Alarcon said.

Here's what to know.

All of the roughly 2,000 metered spaces in Nashville's commercial areas will be run using smart parking kiosks after the rollout is complete.

The kiosks will accept payment through text, QR code, phone app, credit card, cash and coins. There will be no immediate changes to parking hours or rates, though adjustments may be made in the future.

People with handicap placards will still be allowed to park free of charge in metered spaces in accordance with state law, so long as they remain within the posted parking time limits.

Alarcon said many spaces in commercial areas are currently used by employees working downtown. NDOT is working with the Downtown Partnership to develop an employee parking program with a shuttle, allowing employees to park elsewhere to reserve up-front parking for business patrons, she said.

Paper tickets will be a thing of the past as enforcement will take the form of electronic ticketing managed on a digital platform. Owner information will be gathered using license plates.

All tickets issued by LAZ Parking employees will be reviewed by NDOT staff, and Metro courts will handle citation payment collection. NDOT is working with the courts on how to handle a citation appeal process.

The rollout process will include several weeks of "education" during which enforcers will issue warnings instead of citations, Alarcon said. LAZ Parking will also spearhead marketing and outreach about the new meters and enforcement of Metro's current rules.

Metro officials predict the new meters and more consistent street parking enforcement will significantly grow the city's parking meter revenue. Over the last five years, the city's street parking meter system brought in a maximum $1.18 million per year. In the first year of the new program, Metro estimates it will bring in closer to $2.85 million.

And if Nashville expands the number of metered spaces, lengthens operating hours or increases parking rates in the future, the city's meters could bring in up to $15 million annually by 2027, according to Metro estimates.

More meters, longer hours of operation and increased rates are under consideration, but those decisions will be made in the future and informed by usage data collected using the new meters, Alarcon said.

Any of these changes would require approval from the Metro Traffic and Parking Commission.

Current parking fees in the Central Business District, which encompasses much of downtown, are $2.25 per hour with a two-hour limit Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (with some hours exceptions for loading zones). For meters outside of the Central Business District, rates are $1.75 per hour with a two-hour limit within the same operating hours. Sundays and government holidays are free.

Nashville's metered parking rates are currently lower than peer cities, Alarcon said. Metro could consider extending hours to something "more reasonable" because "our entertainment district doesn't turn off" at 6 p.m., she said.

Should Metro choose to expand its meter system into other streets or areas of the city, Metro Council member Angie Henderson clarified, smart parking kiosks would be implemented in commercial areas, not residential neighborhoods.

More:Council to consider removing parking requirements in Nashville's most urban areas

Alarcon said the new meters are equipped with technology that could allow Metro to one day allow people to reserve parking in advance.

The city could also eventually transition to automated systems similar to those in place in many privately-owned parking structures throughout the city that do not rely on human enforcement.

"That's something we're looking at down the road, but we just need to get out of the gate first," Alarcon said.

The new equipment is also capable of being connected to electric vehicle chargers, should Metro decide to incorporate that function in the future.

Metro Council approved the contract with LAZ Parking 27-4. Council members Freddie O'Connell, Delishia Porterfield, Tanaka Vercher and Ginny Welsch voted against the contract.