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Parking in Center City just got pricier. Beginning July 1, drivers will pay an extra dollar per hour at meters — a hike the Philadelphia Parking Authority says is its first in over a decade.
Parking meters in core Center City, defined by the PPA as Arch to Locust streets and 4th to 20th streets, now cost $4 per hour, up from $3. “Center City Area,” from Spring Garden to Bainbridge streets between the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers and excluding locations already defined as core, jumped from $2.50 to $3.50 per hour. And Center City’s long-term meters, which have time limits from four to 12 hours and used to cost $1.50 an hour, now run drivers an hourly $2.50.
The price hikes are expected to increase parking turnover, leading to improved street parking availability and, in turn, decreased congestion, the PPA stated on its website.