The Colorado legislature has approved an RTD pay-for-parking measure, and on Thursday the bill was conveyed to Gov. Bill Ritter for his signature.
Senate Bill 88 allows the Regional Transportation District to access Colorado motor vehicle registration information to determine whether park-n-Ride users live inside or outside the eight-county RTD district.
RTD has yet to finalize the pay-for-parking scheme, but the agency has looked at charging those who live outside the district $4 a day from the first day of parking at its busiest lots.
Residents of the district would not have to pay for the first 24 hours of parking, but they would be charged $2 a day for vehicles left additional days, according to the tentative RTD plan.
Out-of-district transit users should pay more because they do not pay RTD sales taxes in their home cities, agency officials say.
It will take awhile before pay booths go up at RTD lots. “We’ve said it will take about a year to design and implement a program that reflects the legislation,” said Errol Stevens, RTD’s senior manager for property management.
About 25 of RTD’s 76 park-n- Rides are candidates for the paid parking program because they average 80 percent or more full on a daily basis, Stevens said.
Lots that serve many skyRide bus riders to Denver International Airport, including the Stapleton park-n-Ride, are expected to get parking fees since they will capture users who typically leave vehicles for multiple days.
Busy lots such as Wagon Road, Nine Mile and Mineral also are expected to have parking charges.
The bill allows RTD to set aside up to 15 percent of a lot for reserved parking, which will allow transit users to ensure they have a parking spot during prime hours in exchange for payment of a premium fee.
The bill allows RTD to fine those who violate the parking rules. The penalty is $20 for the first offense, $50 for the second and $100 for all subsequent offenses.
Staff writer Jeffrey Leib can be reached at 303-954-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com.
