New Program For Paid Visitor Parking Looks To Ease City's Parking Woes

BERKELEY, CA — A new pilot program for paid visitor parking took effect Monday, Oct. 17, and if all goes as planned, should help to ease parking problems in the southside area of the city of Berkeley.

The goBerkeley SmartSpace pilot program hopes to increase availability of parking on the city's southside while reducing congestion and decreasing greenhouse emissions.

"The City Council-approved pilot program recognizes that many drivers already take advantage of unmetered residential blocks, the city of Berkeley said in a news release. "They can now pay to do so."

Southside has a two-hour parking limit between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., unless you have a resident parking permit.

According to the news release, the trial builds upon nearly a decade of citywide implementation of demand-based pricing for parking — policies and practices that increase available parking and reduce the emissions created by the search for parking in congested areas.

"City policy is to price street parking higher than garages," the city said, adding that the hourly rate for the nearby Telegraph Channing garage is $1 an hour for up to four hours, with the first hour free. The maximum rate is $16 per day.

In the pilot area, which encompasses 2700 blocks of Durant Avenue, Channing Way, Haste Street and the 2300 and 2400 blocks of Piedmont Avenue, visitors without residential parking permit "I" will be able to stay for up to eight hours at a rate of $2 an hour.

"Except when football gameday requirements prohibit visitor parking, payment will be required Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.," the city said.

Berkeley plans to collect data over the winter months and assess the status of available parking. If parking remains hard to find, hourly rates could be adjusted during the pilot.

"In summer 2023, we will conduct a full evaluation of the pilot program," the city said.

Data to be collected includes how parking is being used in residential areas, including parking occupancy, parking duration of stay and parking search time and will be used to evaluate the project’s effects.

"Depending on the results, the strategies being tested may be authorized to continue or discontinued," the city said.

Those wishing to utilize parking in the pilot areas can pay by phone with the ParkMobile app and using Zone #19800 or can pay by credit/debit card or coins with “pay by plate” parking kiosks and entering their license plate number.

"Residents who have annual or visitor permits for Residential Preferential Parking (RPP) Area I are exempt from the new paid parking and time restrictions. There are no changes to football game day restrictions or to RPP parking outside the pilot area," the city said.

For more information, visit the goBerkeley Smart Space Project website.