RTD officials Tuesday night presented a comprehensive pay-for-parking plan to cover at least 20,000 spaces at 55 light-rail and bus park-n-Rides next year.
The proposal, which needs final approval by the Regional Transportation District board of directors, would offer residents of the eight-county RTD district free daily parking at the busiest lots if spaces are available, but also give them the opportunity to reserve a guaranteed space for $20 a month.
The guarantee would be for weekday commuters arriving at lots between 5 and 10 a.m.
RTD bus and train users who live outside the transit agency’s district would be charged $4 a day, or $40 for a monthly pass, for daily use of the busiest RTD parking lots, according to the plan. Non- residents could reserve a space for $50 a month.
The proposal is the first in the nation to attempt to charge a premium for riders who live outside the boundaries of a transit taxing district, RTD general manager Cal Marsella said.
Most parking transactions would be deducted from prepaid credit card accounts.
RTD estimates that 13 percent of vehicles using its parking lots are registered to owners who live outside the transit district.
Because license plates would be used to verify in-district or out-of-district residency, commuters participating in the parking program would have to register vehicles with RTD to get preferred parking rates, said agency official Errol Stevens, who helped develop the parking plan.
Even residents of the district using spaces free on a daily basis would have to register, Stevens said.
If someone does not register their vehicle with the agency, the parking rate would be $6 a day, according to the proposal.
When the 13-station, $880 million southeast corridor light-rail line opens late next year, RTD will have a total of 27,000 spaces at 78 park-n-Rides throughout its system.
The pay-for-parking plan would cover the busiest lots, including all those on the southeast and southwest train lines.
It also includes bus park- n-Rides in Boulder, Nederland, Westminster, Evergreen, Morrison, Lakewood, Franktown and Parker.
Transit users who leave vehicles at RTD lots overnight, including many who take skyRide buses to Denver International Airport, would pay a daily fee if vehicles are left longer than 24 hours.
If approved by the agency board, the fee-based parking plan most likely would go into effect next year when train service begins on the southeast line.
The paid parking program’s advantages include the preservation of spaces for residents of the RTD district and the introduction of “equity,” whereby those who live outside the district pay a premium to use the lots, Marsella said.
He noted that out-of-district riders typically are not paying the sales tax that accounts for 66 percent of RTD’s revenues.
In addition to the detailed parking proposal presented Tuesday night, RTD officials said agency directors also could consider a more-limited parking plan that would charge only those who want to reserve a parking space for weekday use, whether residents or non- residents.
Officials said RTD plans to hold at least four public meetings on the parking proposals before directors vote on the plans.
Staff writer Jeffrey Leib can be reached at 303-820-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com.
