Downtown Nashville parking meters will move to 24/7 enforcement in February

Parking meters in Nashville’s downtown core will be enforced 24 hours a day, seven days a week beginning in February.

The all-day parking zone includes city meters inside the Interstate 40 loop up to Harrison Street. City-owned meters outside of that boundary will be active from 6 a.m.-midnight, seven days a week.

“Our downtown area and some outer regions actually run 24/7,” Nashville Department of Transportation Director Diana Alarcon said.

City-owned parking meters in Nashville will move to 24/7 enforcement within the yellow boundary starting in February. Meters outside of that area, shown in green, will be active from 6 a.m. through midnight, seven days a week.

Nashville’s Traffic and Parking Commission approved the change Monday as part of the city’s new smart parking program.

The program will ultimately replace the city’s approximately 2,000 coin-operated meters with “smart” kiosks that accept payments through texts, credit cards, phone apps and cash. Metro Council approved a five-year contract in November with Georgia-based LAZ Parking to manage the city-owned meters. LAZ Parking will also provide additional parking enforcement staff, allowing for more consistent enforcement, according to Alarcon.

The meters currently run from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with two-hour time limits. Sundays and government holidays are currently free, but starting in February, enforcement will move to 365 days a year.

More:More payment options, stricter enforcement: Get ready for Nashville’s new parking meters

People with accessible parking placards or license plates may park on the street for free, but must comply with posted time limits.

Metro currently does not charge for parking during religious services in buildings with metered parking. Meters revert to normal hours of enforcement after the services conclude. Alarcon said NDOT will continue to work with religious institutions.

Parking meter rates remain the same, for now: $2.25 per hour in the Central Business District, and $1.75 per hour outside of that area. Alarcon said Nashville’s metered parking rates are currently lower than peer cities and could be increased in the future, with the approval of the Metro Traffic and Parking Commission.

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Community outreach to educate the public on the changes will begin this month, Alarcon said. New signage for the meters will be produced and installed in January, and enforcement of the new hours is slated to start in February.

The city meters are expected to bring in $1.2 million or more in revenue for fiscal year 2023 with the new operating hours (compared to an estimated $962,000 prior to the change).

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Downtown Nashville parking meters will be enforced 24/7