by Melissa Howsam | Feb 25, 2025 | Buzz, March 2025
We complain about parking Downtown, but is it really that bad?
Downtown parking has a PR problem. Think about it: You roll up to Walmart, snag an open spot at the back of the lot and stroll the distance to the door. That trek clocks in at an average 550 feet (aka ~1/10 mile).
Now, imagine you’ve got a reservation at Brewery Bhavana on Blount Street—and, naturally, the on-street parking is taken, so you circle and grab a spot in the Wilmington Street Station Parking Deck (117 S. Wilmington St.). Get this: It’s a mere 444-foot jaunt to the restaurant—meaning 100+ feet shorter than that Walmart walk. Yet people always peg the latter as the much bigger headache—and many are unwilling to even do it.
“Parking, even before COVID, was the most persistent, largest, complaint we’d get in our annual survey,” notes Downtown Raleigh Alliance President/CEO Bill King. But in a city teeming with “free” public retail lots, it comes down to perception vs. reality.
“People often gravitate toward the path of least resistance,” imparts Village District GM for Regency Centers Brooke Conn, who references Donald Shoup’s highly influential The High Cost of Free Parking, in which he makes the case that “free” parking is never truly free—the costs are instead absorbed elsewhere: higher housing prices and increased goods and service costs. Worse still, not only does parking revenue bolster cities’ ability to thrive, but those free spots are subsidies that distort urban development and encourage urban sprawl, car dependency and congestion, all at the expense of walkability and public transit—two of Raleighites’ biggest pleas.
To be fair, Downtown’s mix of city-owned and predatory private lots and metered spots along with an apparent maze of parking apps can seem more daunting than pulling up to, say, North Hills, Crabtree or your big box store of choice. And Downtown parking wasn’t always free. But both of those realities have been remedied.
Requiring no app, Downtown public decks have long been free on weekends and post-7pm on weekdays. And, beginning last fall, a pilot program allows you to post up in any of the five city-owned decks free for the first two hours (City Council recently voted to extend the program through the end of the year)—covering any retail, lunching or happy hour needs—or even the entire evening if you pull up at 5pm or after.
It’s a benefit some residents are willing to actually “pay” for. “I hope City Council opts to keep the first two hours free program,” says Raleighite Bill O’Donnell in front of the vote—“even if that means paying more after the first two hours during the week [or] some amount on weekends. It’s made it much easier to stop Downtown for lunch, a haircut, etc.”
As for street parking—also cost-free after 6pm and on weekends—only one app, Passport, is needed. And before you scoff, the app’s ease and appeal are infinite. Once your license plate and credit card info are stored, it takes you ~30 seconds flat to pay from inside your warm locked car—without having to fumble for your wallet, get out your card or mess with an outdated meter. You simply type in the four-digit zone visibly labeled on the adjacent meter—and voila. It’s that simple.
“I definitely agree on the frustration I feel when I hear people refer to a perceived lack of parking options Downtown,” adds O’Donnell. “There’s plenty of parking—and most of it is inexpensive, although I think the more predatory lots rightly scare some people off.” The solution for the latter is to zoom right by them and save yourself the nightmare of actual app chaos and a $100+ ticket.
The key is to stay the course. “Are people just giving up because spots within 50 feet of the restaurant are taken?” asks local Eric Spain. “I don’t think I’ve ever been unable to find free parking within two to three blocks at most. While some areas are more difficult…Downtown Raleigh parking isn’t bad at all!”
Essentially, the steps you’ll clock, say the 0.1-mile block-and-a-half from Beasley’s to Kings, aren’t any more than those you’d take in the free surface lots sprawled across the city—and you’re likely supporting a local business to boot.
by Heidi Reid | Aug 19, 2024 | Buzz, September 2024
Like a virtual corn maze, maneuvering Raleigh’s ever-growing amount of DTR lots and apps can be overwhelming—but how did we get here? And how do we navigate it?
Ask any Raleigh resident their feelings on going Downtown and you’ll hear the same narrative: Figuring out where and how to park and pay is the worst. Read: an overwhelming maze of public and private parking options people would sooner skip than solve—especially given the costly consequences.
You know the drill. You’re endlessly circling for a street spot before giving up and pulling into a private lot, where you’re forced to find or download yet another parking app to then get gouged for $20—only to return some five minutes late to a ticket upward of ~$125. Such scenarios are playing out across DTR on the daily, prompting residents and visitors to weigh venturing Downtown—where every lot is a puzzle of rates and rules—against alternative live-work-play districts dishing plenty of free parking (think North Hills, Village District, Fenton—though those areas can come with their own lot battles and endless hunts).
So, how did we get here? A quick refresh: Longtime Raleighites may remember the infamous McLaurin Parking monopoly. Rolling out their empire in 1948 on South Salisbury Street behind the Sir Walter Hotel, the McLaurin family was the name in NC parking for 70 years—managing both public and private parking locally, including a city contract of 8,000+ parking spots.
Fast-forward to 2017 when the McLaurins sold their parking conglomerate off to The Car Park of Boise, Idaho. From there, enter the swath of parking management czars we love to loathe today—including Secure Parking, ParkMobile and more. And, with them, the exorbitant rates and fines—aka the measly ~$18 private parking violation from 2015 has septupled to up to $125, with hourly rates currently clocking in at $6+.
Despite the melee, DTR’s popularity peaked this summer, seeing its highest post-pandemic monthly foot traffic. Still, parking accessibility remains a hot-button topic to keep Downtown thriving—and the exorbitant fees, fines and frustration have yielded new efforts to curb the parking fluster.
One idea currently being kicked around includes making the first two hours of public parking free in city-owned garages. “The matter is still under consideration,” explains Parking Superintendent John M. Wynn.
And contrary to public perception, Downtown is actually overflowing with available parking options. “Current supply of parking, particularly off-street, is plentiful and more than meets current demand,” says Rob Murray, communications analyst for the City of Raleigh Transportation Department. And as “private developers are including parking to support their projects, the City of Raleigh does not anticipate building new parking.”
And they shouldn’t. Almost one-third of DTR is off-street parking, easily overshadowing the national average of 16%. So, ultimately, it’s a matter of education and accessibility—from knowing where to park for cheap to navigating the sea of parking apps.
Private vs. Public Lots
The cardinal rule for Downtown parking: Always opt for street and city deck parking. For starters, there’s the convenience. Street parking can be paid on-the-go via the Passport Parking app, and these spots, as well as city-owned parking garages and lots, are cheaper by the hour—not to mention city citation fines start at just $15 if paid immediately. It’s in your best interest to handle city-issued tickets promptly to ward off escalating fines and the boot—which the City can enforce once any vehicle racks up three 90-plus-day-old unpaid citations.
Private lots, alternatively, are infamous for pricey parking, camera-tracking cars and sky-high fines. Beware of multimanaged lots boasting confusing signage with a riddle of QR codes. While they are legally required to specify which spots are which, it’s your job to figure it out based on your colored wheel stop (aka that concrete block at your front tires).
DTR Parking Hacks
- Seven city parking decks are free on weekends.
- Street parking is free on weekdays from 6pm–7am unless otherwise marked.
- Once your parking fully expires, Passport Parking will allow you to reup your time limit.
- City parking decks charge a $10 flat rate during special events.
- If you park in a deck and pay at one of the kiosks, you can exit the deck without stopping via plate readers.
- If you pay for hourly parking, set a timer for a few minutes before your parking is set to expire.
- Park and ride—the R-Line is up and running again throughout Downtown Thursday through Saturday until 2:15am.
Apps and websites to use for parking Downtown in Raleigh
- Passport Parking
passportparking.com
City-contracted; zone-based
- ParkMobile
parkmobile.io
NC State-contracted; advance reserve via spot finder map
- ParkWhiz
parkwhiz.com
Compare prices; pre-purchase discounts; advance mobile event parking passes (Canes games, concerts)
- The Car Park
thecarpark.com
City-contracted lots/parking garages + private lots
- Honk Mobile
honkmobile.com
Prepaid parking credits
- Secure-a-Spot by Secure Parking USA
secureparkingusa.comOnline subscription-based parking; cash-back options
Private Tickets: Do You Have to Pay?
Legitimate parking tickets cited by private companies are civil matters—not criminal offenses. So while the government can’t come after you for any unpaid tickets, it can affect your credit score (though not your car insurance rates) if reported to a collections agency. So—arguably smarter to shell out the ~$60 than gambling on your credit score. Plus, like government-issued tickets, private tickets grow exponentially in price the longer you wait to pay them—some upward of a whopping $125.
The lack of legislation involved with private lots has its pros and cons. While it means repercussions for unpaid citations are harder to enforce, it also means lots can charge any amount they wish for hourly parking and violations—and there are few laws defending you when a problem arises. In fact, certain law firms won’t even touch private parking tickets.
And because the number of citations issued is so high, parking ticket scams are more common in private parking lots—especially ones using QR codes to collect payment. Pro tip: If a ticket requires payment via reloadable debit card or wire transfer like Cash App, Zelle or Venmo, it’s a fraud. Always visit the website listed before paying to confirm it’s legit.
Beyond scam alerts, navigating the private lot violations is often overwhelming, including receiving aggressive letters in the mail threatening to impound or immobilize your car a mere 60 days post-ticket. (Don’t forget: Your plate is tied to your home address—and they will find you.) While the parking company cannot hunt down your car and tow it from just anywhere, they can legally tow or boot your vehicle the next time you park in that lot or another lot they manage. While these arguable scare tactics prove obnoxious and stress-inducing, private lots are private property—and if you break the contract (aka the terms and conditions you opted to skip over) the companies are legally permitted to defend themselves—even if it feels predatory.
According to The Car Park VP of Marketing Cory Collins, who manages several private and public lots in Raleigh, violations are not given a flat rate—but based on the offense. “We believe strongly in the importance of keeping an ADA parking space available for those who need it,” explains Collins, “so the violation for parking in an ADA space will be more than for expired time.”
Although The Car Park doesn’t use a collections agency, they, like all other private lots, reserve the right to. “The majority of our revenue comes from folks paying for parking, not parking violations,” adds Collins. “Enforcement is about keeping parking accessible and fair. … Most people choose to do the right thing and pay the violation if they owe it. We’re often lenient and work with folks when there’s a reasonable mistake that’s led to
the violation.”
Pro Tips:
- Ensure the parking spot color correlates with the color on the sign you scanned.
- Verify how long you paid to park in the lot
- Camera recordings mean mailed tickets if you try to play the system.
- Don’t pull into a private lot at all if you don’t plan to park there
How Raleigh Stacks Up
Fun fact: Relative to other comparably sized cities, the City of Raleigh’s fine is extremely low, starting at just $15—and only charges for Downtown street parking from 8am to 6pm. Meanwhile, cities like Nashville and Kansas City charge to park on the street around the clock, and Sacramento charges $62.50 for parking violations. Ultimately, pricing, fees and location are parking problems that any healthy, thriving metropolis must tackle. So how have other cities handled these growing pains?
What Not to Do:
- Pricing based on location. Like Raleigh, New York City uses an app so drivers can pay for parking “in a New York minute”—but, unlike the City of Oaks, metered parking can cost up to $13/hour. Hence, most New Yorkers opt for public transit.
- Privatizing more parking. After the infamous $1 billion deal in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis giving private firm control of all metered spots and pricing, Chicago must now buy or rent street spots back if they want to build a bike lane or host a street fair.
- Require parking minimums. Atlanta aimed to tackle parking problems via minimums to ensure enough spots for all. Instead, many lots sit vacant on the busiest nights, thus driving up the cost of living, creating heat islands and resulting in lost city revenue.
Best Practices:
- Progressive pricing. To increase parking turnover, Austin’s on-street parking is adjusted by the hour—first two hours, $2 each; third hour, $1; each subsequent hour, +$0.50 more than the last—with an hourly maximum of $5.
- Collaborative parking. Houston’s Community parking plan expands curb parking, allowing permitted residents and employees to park in metered spots, plus nonpermitted visitors for up to three hours.
- Extensive research. In response to the higher demand for parking in its two main districts, Charlotte is slated to implement infrastructure changes based on the research from its 139-page strategic parking plan including studies of 15+ other cities.
