Palo Alto shoppers will get a slight reprieve from the city's parking laws this holiday season -- an extra hour of free parking in the city's garages.
The city is extending the length of time drivers can park at all parking garages from three to four hours between now and Jan. 1, 2012. The idea is to support the city's downtown economy during the busy shopping season, according to an announcement from the city. Visitors can also purchase all-day passes.
"Extending the hours in the downtown parking garages to four hours during the holiday season affords customers the opportunity to linger in downtown Palo Alto to enjoy the unique retail and hospitality experience," Paul Wright, interim CEO of the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, said.
The new rules apply to all city garages, including the ones at City Center, at Bryant Street and Lytton Avenue, at Alma and High streets, at Cowper and Webster streets and at Ramona Street and University Avenue. They do not apply to designated permit spaces and surface lots.
Street parking at color zones downtown will maintain their two-hour limit.
Comments
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Nov 17, 2011 at 11:14 am
on Nov 17, 2011 at 11:14 am
Given how empty the Bryant Street Garage is, this doesn't seem like a very generous offer--
A Walk-Thru Of The Bryant Street Parking Garage:
Web Link
The Bryant Garage seems to be almost empty, above the first floor. If this is true for the other garages, then perhaps for the period between "Black Friday" and sometime after the First of the Year, parking rules could be suspended?
University South
on Nov 18, 2011 at 6:38 am
on Nov 18, 2011 at 6:38 am
That video was taken at 10am on a Monday. It would be interesting to see the car density at noon on a Thursday, or 7pm on a Friday.
Fairmeadow
on Nov 18, 2011 at 8:28 am
on Nov 18, 2011 at 8:28 am
> It would be interesting to see the car density at noon on a
> Thursday, or 7pm on a Friday.
Yes, it would.
There really is no reason the City could not install some video surveillance equipment in this garage and make those feeds available. Failing that, it could install real-time vehicle tracking hardware/software so that the counts of vehicles in these garages would be known at all times. The counts could be made available via a web-page on the City's web-site.
Registered user
Midtown
on Nov 21, 2011 at 10:41 am
Registered user
on Nov 21, 2011 at 10:41 am
Haven't we been punished enough for shopping downtown?