This is an updated, revised version of an earlier post.
Hartford’s parking overseer unveiled Thursday a pilot format that doubles the previous two-hour limit available immediately around the city’s courthouse complex.
The Hartford Parking Authority and Mayor Pedro E. Segarra conducted a morning, on-site news conference to introduce its new Courthouse Parking Zone surrounding the courthouses.
Bordered by Washington, Lafayette, Russ, Oak and Grand Streets on downtown’s southern fringe, the zone permits longer stays and more payment options to address requests from customers parking on those streets.
HPA CEO Eric Boone said the pilot is the result of surveys and frequent complaints from parkers, mostly lawyers, that the two-hour limit was too restrictive. The pilot will be evaluated for potential adoption in other areas of the city, Boone said.
As part of the pilot, 14 new solar-powered “smart meters’’ that accept coins, credit and debit cards and Downtown Hartford Park-Shop-Dine cards were installed and 30 existing pay station kiosks were updated, he said.
Under the new extended parking program, parkers still pay $2 for the first two hours. Then, the rate progressively increases to as much as $7 for those who want the full four-hour limit, authorities said.
“Convenient parking is essential to Hartford’s economic and community development, and these customer service improvements in the Courthouse Parking Zone are just one of HPA’s many initiatives to meet specific neighborhood needs around the city,” Segarra said in a statement.
