DURHAM, North Carolina (WTVD) -- The City of Durham is adding about 1,000 on-street parking meters downtown.[br /][br /]The new paid parking is scheduled to begin on February 27. Workers will begin installing the meters along with new signs this week.[br /]
[br /]"If you've been downtown lately, you've seen just how busy it is and how scarce our on-street parking has become," said Thomas Leathers, Parking Management Division Administrator. "We're going to provide more access to downtown parking with the added convenience of having multiple ways to pay."[br /][br /][url HREF="http://abc11.com/apps/" TARGET="new" REL=""][b]Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App[/b][/url][br /][br /]The new on-street parking will use a combination of single-space parking meters and multi-space pay stations, which will accept credit and debit card payments, cash and coin payments, and be compatible with Passport's pay-by-phone app.[br /][br /]So how much is this going to cost? On-street hourly parking rate will be $1.50 per hour. Many spaces will have a time limit enforced during peak usage hours.[br /][br /]Leathers said the meters were a recommendation in the Comprehensive Parking Study to encourage the much-need turnover of vehicles to meet rapidly growing demand.[br /]On-street metered parking isn't the only option for residents and visitors, Leathers said.[br /]