A city plan to make Houstonians pay for street parking after 6 p.m. has been ditched after it got mixed reactions from residents, our partners at the Houston Chronicle first reported.
Most Houstonians currently enjoy free curbside parking in the evening, but officials had brought forward a plan to extend metered parking to midnight. This proposal first made it to City Council’s agenda in May, but it’s no longer a part of the changes the council will consider on Wednesday.
Some people hoped the proposal would be a way to free up downtown space and boost ride-share use. Others shared their concern for trips to places like the Toyota Center or Minute Maid would get complicated due to limited parking.
Bill Rudolph, a spokesperson for the Administration & Regulatory Affairs department, told the Houston Chronicle that they wanted to remove that from the agenda to take a closer look at other critical issues like employee parking and parking availability data for the public.
On the other hand, the city is proposing stricter on-street parking rules for large vehicles, including a two-hour limit and ban between 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.
Additionally, officials will discuss extending the period to dispute parking tickets from seven to 30 days, dropping the cash bond requirement, and no longer requiring an attorney in court.