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No More Free Street Parking In Rainey Street District

You will be paying to park on the street in the Rainey Street District beginning Thursday.

The city has installed pay stations both for on-street and at the lot of the Mexican American Cultural Center.

The city says it is trying to deal with the explosion of traffic since close to a dozen bars moved into the previously residential area.

The pay stations are the first of the city's ideas to improve parking capacity, reduce congestion and address safety challenges.  Other ideas include converting Rainey Street from two-way to one-way and adding sidewalks and bike lanes.

City staffers say paid parking will make more on-street parking available by creating turnover of short-term parking and encouraging long-term users to use off-street spaces.  Currently the Rainey Street district has about 300 available on-street parking spaces.

The city will activate 31 paystations along East Avenue, Rainey, Driskill, Davis, Red River, River, Cummings and Lambie streets.

The cost is $1 an hour.  The times are:
•         Mon- Wed.: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
•         Thu.-Fri.: 8 a.m. to midnight
•         Saturday: 11 a.m. to midnight

It will have four pay stations at the Mexican American Culture Center.
•         Mon. – Sat.: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. $1/hour
•         Mon. – Sat.: 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. $5 flat fee
•         MACC parking will be open to the public with the exception of event nights when parking will be restricted to visitors of the MACC.

A portion of the revenue from the pay stations will cover the cost of the paystations and for parking enforcement officers. Revenue from the paystations at the MACC will go toward the MACC operating funds minus office expenses.