The Portland Bureau of Transportation, in partnership with Lloyd area businesses and residents, will begin implementing new rates for on-street parking during large-scale events to encourage public transit and biking, and reduce congestion and pollution in the Lloyd Event District.

Starting Friday, Sept. 9, on-street parking will cost $3 an hour, up from $1 an hour, with meter hours operating until 10 p.m. The new rate will be in effect all day, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., this Friday through Sunday. The all-day rate will be in effect on three other days through the end of the year. On 24 other days, it will be in effect only from 5 to 10 p.m.

The new rate is expected to relieve pressure on people who live or work in the Lloyd and Rose Quarter area, reducing traffic, and making it easier for residents and other visitors to find on-street parking.​

According to PBOT, when people attend conventions and pro sports games in the busy neighborhood, it's less expensive for them to drive and park their cars in public, on-street parking spaces than it is to pay the $5 for a round-trip fare on public transit. This creates severe parking shortages, as parking occupancy jumps from about 30 percent normally to more than 90 percent during event days. With nine out of 10 spaces occupied, people drive in circles in the area to find parking, driving while distracted and creating congestion and delays for bus service and local residents and businesses.

The event district for the Lloyd area was approved by City Council in April. It allows PBOT to charge $3 an hour during the 90 events a year that draw more than 10,000 visitors, mostly during evening hours. On-street parking will be affected at the 1,250 spaces in the area, where parking has historically been free or $1 an hour.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Event parking districts using higher meter rates and extended hours of enforcement have been successful in managing parking impacts to event areas in other cities and in Southwest Portland near Providence Park Stadium.

The district implements several policies passed by the city council over many years. In 2018, council passed an ordinance for the Performance Based Parking Management Manual, which outlines how and where to establish Event Parking Districts. It is consistent with the report and recommendations by the Pricing Options for Equitable Mobility Task Force, which were accepted by council last year.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-09-08 06:44:05

Last Update: 2022-09-07 15:00:04