Arlington County Board members in February likely will formally move forward on “performance parking,” an initiative that tracks usage data in each metered public parking space in the county to develop better strategies to maximize their availability.
Board members on Jan. 20 are expected to advertise for a Feb. 24 public hearing (and likely approval) of a two-year pilot program.
The Jan. 20 vote will be the first procedural step taken since a community forum in early December garnered public input.
Over the past year, the county government has been using sensors installed at parking spaces to detect the presence or absence of vehicles and the length of stay. Moving forward, county officials plan to study usage data at about 4,500 meters and then adjust parking-meter rates based on multiple factors.
Changes to rates would take place no more than once per quarter. County officials say they have no plan to institute “dynamic” rates, which (like travel lanes on some tolled highways) would go up and down in real time based on availability.
They also say camera technology is not being used, and no personally-identifying information will be collected by the system.
County officials also say the goal of the effort is not to increase revenue, but ensure an adequate availability of parking in high-traffic areas. Current parking-payment methods will not change, they say.
Most of the funding for the pilot program comes from a $5.4 million state grant.