The Parking Authority of Baltimore City has to solve a problem, namely a parking problem in the city of Baltimore. Apparently it's extremely difficult to find an available on-street parking spot in the downtown area. This has a lot to do with free parking for people with disabilities.
Over 30% of vehicles per block have disability placards behind the car window, 94% of all parking spaces are occupied while traffic congestion is increasing. About 1/3 of the congestion is caused by people in search for an available parking spot.
Another problem is that hundreds of disability placards a year are reported stolen and people are using the cards without having any disability. Time for everyone to start paying for their parking spot.
The Parking Authority of Baltimore City and the Mayor's Commission therefor co-sponsored a new project called ProjectSPACE.
A few things that are going to change, starting the 10th of July, is that everone has to pay for their parking spot, even if you are a person with a disability. Hundreds of ADA-approved (Americans with Disabilities Act) parking meters will be added on street. By making it harder to 'cheat' on your parking authority, parking in a parking garage will become more popular and traffic congestion will decrease.
If the project is succesfull, it surely will be expanding into other areas of Baltimore City in the future.
Click here to learn more about ProjectSPACE.
