April 28, 2022
Contact: Justin Clay
Parking Manager
Parking Management Department
479-575-8277
jclay@fayetteville-ar.gov
City of Fayetteville improves downtown parking, adds new payment methods
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The City of Fayetteville has made several changes to parking in the Downtown Business District, including modernizing payment methods, to make the process easier for Fayetteville residents and visitors.
On-street parking meters in the district, which total 250 and previously only accepted coins, have been replaced with “smart” meters that accept payment via credit cards, mobile app (ParkMobile) and contactless payment methods. Drivers still have the option to pay with coins.
Many of the smart meters are equipped with sensor technology that identifies the exact moment a car is parked in a space. City officials said the sensors will provide real-time parking availability data and allow for grace periods, during which parking rates will not be required for downtown customers during shorter parking sessions.
“The sensors allow for a friendlier approach to parking enforcement,” said Justin Clay, parking management director for the City. “Also, it gives the ability to relay real-time parking availability via the mobile app.”
On-street meters are either short-term with a two-hour limit, or long-term with no time limit. An updated parking map for the Downtown Business District has been added to the City’s Parking Management Department webpage. Parking around the Downtown Square and Gardens is still free for no more than two hours in a four-hour period.
The five municipal surface parking lots in the downtown district, which previously had 275 single-space coin meters, now feature pay stations for each lot that use a pay-by-license plate method. Transitioning to a pay-by-plate method allows for the same grace period options as the on-street sensors, and it allows City staff to enforce permits by license plate, removing the need and costs associated with physical permits.
With the addition of payment stations, Clay said accessibility will be improved by the removal of single-space meters along sidewalks that are adjacent to parking lots.
To cover the operational software costs associated with the new equipment, Fayetteville City Council approved Resolution 6475 in 2021, changing on-street rates from 25 cents per hour to 50 cents per hour and surface lot rates from 15 cents per hour to 25 cents per hour.
For more information about parking, please go to https://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/680/Parking.
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