INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) — Changes in the Indianapolis parking ordinance approved in January by the City-County Council took effect on March 11.
A new schedule of paid parking hours was implemented by the city's contracted parking meter company, ParkIndy, LLC.
The ordinance added Saturdays outside the downtown parking zone. Motorists must pay for metered parking every day except Sunday between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.
Sunday parking at city meters remains free.
The contractor has added new signs at pay boxes, detailing new payment options and reflecting the changes in the fee schedule
There is also a second pay-by-cell vendor available called Way to Park.
The extra revenue is intended to pay for street sweeping and for initiatives for the homeless, but supporters of the change also touted uniformity in parking rules and enforcement.
There are roughly 4,000 parking meters in downtown and Broad Ripple, but the hours of enforcement vary. Previously, in some areas, drivers didn't have to pay after 6 p.m.
The initial proposal also called for adding 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Sundays to the parking fee schedule. That part of the plan met significant opposition and was dropped.
The expanded hours are expected to generate an extra $800,000 per year.