Paid or Played?

Answering Raleigh’s Parking Puzzle.

After adding one parking app too many to our phones and pulling a $100+ parking ticket, we investigated the puzzle that is DTR private-lot parking. 

Downtown is back. People are flocking in droves on the daily—whether it’s for dining and drinking, events, festivals, or concerts. But Downtown parking can seem like a labyrinth, a search that’s cumbersome at best, a straight deterrent at worst. Despite myriad decks and lots, finding a spot alone can feel nearly impossible—never mind having to then navigate lot restrictions, or download and learn some new app. 

Last month, we learned a Raleigh resident was slapped with a $125 parking ticket in the private lot directly across from the One Glenwood building. The CVS-long ticket was littered with fine print—“if you pay within 15 days you’ll get a $90 discount; if you pay within 30 days you’ll get a $60 discount,” and so on.  

So it got us thinking… Why are there so many different apps—and which are even legit? Most importantly: Do you really have to pay? 

For starters, turns out there’s actually only one parking app the City of Raleigh contracts with across its 10 parking decks and two lots: Passport Parking. “And that’s it,” says Matthew Currier, parking manager for the City of Raleigh Transportation Department. “Everything else—which is a lot of operators and private owners, etc.—is all done Wild West-style.” Translation: The property owner can easily establish a private lot and charge whatever they want. So rates and rules can vary widely even with the same app in different lots.

“It’s just a form, and all [they do] is collect your license plate, your money and attach the amount of time you can be there,” explains Currier. “That’s a really easy thing to spin up from an app-developer perspective. … I’m not 100% sure what ramifications they have or what access they have post-issuance of a citation,” says Currier. 

So wait? Does that mean there are no consequences? This revelation of course befell a set of new questions. Beyond the apps, who’s monitoring these lots, and who’s tracking ticket payment—and to what end? After reaching out to various parking app operators and property managers of local private lots, ultimately neither takes responsibility for procuring ticket payment.

One verified DTR lot owner told us, “We use The Car Park [app] to monitor and collect payments when our tenants are closed at night and weekends, but we have no involvement with their operations.” 

The latter conflicts with what the app operators told us. “We do not enforce payment with the lots we partner with,” said a representative for Honk Mobile, which was echoed by ParkMobile. “Each parking lot is owned by their own operator and each operator has their own enforcement on who to ticket/tow.” 

So while it’s unclear if there are any real ramifications for not paying those private tickets, you’ll have to decide if it’s a risk you’re willing to take.

Got a City of Raleigh parking ticket?

$ You have 21 days to pay.
$ After 21 days, if you still haven’t paid, the ticket goes up by $10.
$ Still haven’t paid? You’ll get a notice in the mail.
$ After 200+ days of no payment, the city sends the citation to NC Department of Revenue Debt Setoff Unit, which procures payment via lottery winnings or state income taxes.
$ If you have three or more outstanding citations for 90+ days, the city notifies you and is permitted to boot your car.

Here are a handful of credible apps you’re likely to see around town. 
*Allows you to reserve a parking spot in advance

Passport Parking
passportparking.com 
Contracted with the city; zone-based parking

ParkMobile*
parkmobile.io 
*Contracted with NC State; reserve a spot in advance via spot finder map

ParkWhiz*
parkwhiz.com
Find and compare prices for now or later; pre-purchase discounts; snag mobile parking passes for events in advance (e.g. Canes games, concerts) 

The Car Park 
thecarpark.com 
Find and compare prices; join waiting list

Honk Mobile
honkmobile.com 
Offers prepaid pack of parking credits; doesn’t require app download via QR code

Secure-a-Spot by Secure Parking USA* 
secureparkingusa.com
*Offers monthly subscription-based parking + cash back options; find and book online in advance