City of San Mateo Launches New Parking Website

From the City of San Mateo:

The city of San Mateo launched its new parking website on Tuesday, March 22 in order to provide downtown customers with the information they need to find the ever-elusive parking spot in downtown San Mateo. Additionally, the site provides a portal to pay for parking tickets and will soon accommodate the online sale of monthly downtown parking permits.

The new parking website is customers' go-to spot for all things related to downtown parking. It highlights San Mateo’s nine public parking garages and surface lots with information about locations, entrances, hourly rates and hours of enforcement. Photos clearly identify each location and all are plotted on a Google map to show locations in the downtown area.

The site also provides additional information about other downtown parking amenities, such as the location of EV chargers, downtown parking zones, weekend parking, the holiday parking schedule and a how–to guide for using downtown pay stations. Website visitors can also explore other popular downtown destinations including Central Park, the Century 12 Movie Theatre, the CalTrain Station and the San Mateo Main Library.

“Those visiting and working in Downtown San Mateo want to quickly find a parking space. Providing more information about parking options will help our parking customers and create a better downtown experience,” said Ann Fienman, executive director of the Downtown San Mateo Association.

The new website is a result of the Downtown Parking Management Plan, adopted by the San Mateo City Council in 2014. Improved communication about downtown parking is an identified goal of the plan that will help to make parking more accessible to downtown customers.

The city began implementing the plan during summer 2015 by introducing color-coded parking zones and establishing parking rates based on demand and location. The city is also exploring technologies that will simplify the parking experience, will soon introduce mobile pay to downtown customers and is transitioning from a quarterly downtown parking permit to a monthly permit, tied to a specific facility that permit holders can purchase online.

“It’s exciting to see these changes come to fruition,” said Rafat Hadad, owner of 3 Bees Coffee and member of the Downtown Parking Taskforce. “This is the first time a one-stop guide about downtown parking is available. It’s informative, easy to use on any device, and we want it to be a resource for the downtown community.”

Further information is available through the city website.