Parking in Austin can be hassle, especially downtown. From the amount of people living in the city to all the different parking regulations and changes, finding a good parking space can be as hard as yoga paddle boarding.
Seriously, it can be this hard. Look at how hard this is!
Anyway, back to the parking. Austin parking is going through some changes right now; some changes making parking harder and other changes making parking easier for some. Below are just a couple of the parking changes that could be happening in your area soon.
Parking Changes: Changes are underway that will affect how you get around downtown Austin. These changes will also mean nearly 100 fewer parking spots, AKA 100 fewer parking spots for you and your yoga paddle board.
These changes are due to construction that is already underway. The right lanes of both Guadalupe and Lavaca from Cesar Chavez to MLK will soon be transit-only lanes. That means only buses and bikes will be allowed in those lanes. Cars will be able to get into the lanes but only to make a right turn. So this change means downtown Austin will lose the right-side street parking in that area.
The Director of Transportation for Austin says the changes will create a net loss of 95 parking spots. To make up for the loss, the city plans to convert some downtown parallel parking into back-in angle parking like on South Congress, though they don’t know exactly where yet. So there is still hope for us yet.
So with the loss of some parking in Austin, comes gain for some.
Another parking change that might come into effect in Austin is for some businesses that might be getting more access to parking due to some city code changes workings its way to city council. The code amendment would allow off-site accessory parking, or the use of the site to provide parking for other properties, for properties zoned limited office. The move could allow a limited number of office property owners to meet parking requirements by sending cars to other properties.
The so-called limited office designation is often used when the office space is located near a residential area. The council will address this issue at its upcoming Oct. 3 meeting.
So those are just some of the parking changes going on in Austin that you should be aware of. Like I said before, parking can get hard and to make sure you don’t get into trouble once you DO find a parking spot, check out the parking tips below!
Pro Parking Tips: Tip 1: Be careful about parking your car overnight on the street in downtown Austin. Though street meter parking is free in the evenings (usually after 6pm, but can be after 12am in certain areas), auto theft is a common occurrence downtown. The safest place to park is in a covered lot. So keep your car safe and cover it up!
Tip 2: The Austin parking enforcement is VERY “efficient” at their job. Be sure to read ALL the signs around you before leaving your vehicle to check that you are not parked in a No Parking Zone and that you have enough money in the meter. Austin parking officers are fast with issuing tickets and getting your car towed, and can and will most certainly give you a ticket minutes after your meter just expired. So keep your parking situation on check! You don’t want to have to deal with parking tickets. Parking tickets are the worst.
SO FOLLOW THE RULES AUSTINITES
Here’s a picture of a kitty, everything is going to be okay.
