Why does Seattle have paid parking in most business districts?
In most Seattle business districts, there is a lot of demand for parking. Customers, employees, residents, students and visitors all compete for a limited number of on-street parking spaces. The City of Seattle prioritizes curbspace in business districts for transit, delivery and passenger loading, and then short-term customer parking. Parking meters and pay stations help prevent people from over-staying time limits and free-up short-term parking spaces needed by customers of local businesses. More vehicles parking in the same space throughout a day equals more customers for local businesses. Recent parking studies show that, in business districts with parking meters and pay stations, parkers are much less likely to stay parked beyond the posted time limit. Why did the City change parking technology There were many reasons for the City to change parking technology, including improved customer convenience, predictability and reliability. Many existing single-space meters were aging, req
