The city started installing paid parking signage along South Congress Avenue Monday as part of its plan for the South Congress Parking and Transportation Management District, which it hopes will address longstanding parking issues on the street and in the surrounding area. The city is implementing paid parking, along with other parking regulations to help with safety, mobility, and access.
This strategy aims to create more parking space turnover in a high-demand district with more consistent enforcement. All parking funds will go toward infrastructure improvements in the South Congress area. The implementation of paid parking began in September 2023.
Austin City Council approved adding paid parking to the strip in March, directing that at least 100 parking spaces on or near South Congress would be designated as paid spots. Council documents from March said the item aimed to help with traffic congestion, adding money collected through the paid spots would go toward “proposed improvement projects.”
City crews are expected to finish installing parking signs on the street by early next week before focusing efforts on adjacent side streets. The full signage rollout is projected to take between four and five weeks. Parking enforcement personnel will issue warnings within the first two weeks of the signages’ full installment, after which it will issue citations to vehicles and drivers found in violation of the parking requirements.
