Free parking pilot program begins Friday at 5 Raleigh parking decks

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Raleigh's new parking pilot program begins Friday and hopefully encourages more people to visit downtown.

Free, two-hour parking is available in these specific places:

• Blount Street Deck (314 Blount Street)

• City Center Deck (429 S. Wilmington Street)

• Moore Square Deck (233 S. Wilmington Street)

• Municipal Building Deck (201 W. Morgan Street)

• Wilmington Street Station Deck (117 S. Wilmington Street)

After the initial two-hour free period, standard parking rates will apply.

The push to make parking free in downtown Raleigh appears to have some traction.

The city said they encourage visitors to take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy downtown Raleigh's shops, restaurants, and cultural attractions.

It's part of the city's Downtown Economic Development Strategy, presented earlier this year, which the city will try to implement.

"Some of those projects can take years, this is something we knew that could happen immediately," said Bill King, President and CEO of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance. "So we work really hard with city council to get this done as soon as possible, in part so that our business owners saw some impact immediately."

The pilot will run through February 2025. The city will then assess the program's impact on parking availability and downtown foot traffic.

WATCH | Raleigh city leaders get first look at DRA's complete plan for downtown revitalization

The final phase includes recommendations to implement free, 2-hour parking in city-owned parking decks, plans to finalize a connection between downtown and Dix park and more.