Councilmember Tommy Wells Praises Mayor Fenty’s Support for his Parking Management Plan

(Washington, DC) – Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells today praised the Mayor’s support for his ballpark parking management strategy.

Councilmember Wells stated, “I’m pleased that the Mayor and DDOT have embraced these ideas and we’re moving with a strategy to protect Ward 6 resident parking and help small businesses from the crush of ballpark visitors we’re about to experience.”

The legislation proposed by Councilmember Wells creates a pilot zone around the new Nationals’ ballpark and throughout the residential neighborhoods that surround the stadium and the retail businesses near it. The pilot authorizes the Department of Transportation to work with the Ward 6 community to use performance pricing of curbside parking spots to better manage when, where, and how long vehicles can park.

“We want to encourage everyone possible to take Metro to the games, and enjoy dinner before or after at a local business, but we have to get ahead of the parking pressures to avoid mirroring the parking challenges faced in Georgetown or Adams Morgan.”

Councilmember Wells has hosted over a dozen community meetings with ANC Commissioners, business and community leaders, and residents to review details of the plan and get additional feedback and comments on the proposal. Councilmember Wells met today at 3:00 pm with businesses along 8th Street, SE and Pennsylvania, SE to answer questions and update owners on the parking management plans.

Performance pricing used as a parking management tool will mean decreasing the time spent in hunting for parking, reducing the need for double parking, prioritizing residents in the residential streets, and ensuring reliable parking options for patrons on the retail streets.  As with any other commodity, under-priced or free parking inflates demand leading to shortages and congestion.  By setting parking rates based on demand, drivers may pay a little bit more to park, but they will be assured a spot when they arrive at their destination. 

“For Ward 6 residents, their Zone 6 parking sticker means they’ll see little difference in how they park their cars, but with better management, they should find that visitors stick to the retail streets and the residents become the priority for residential streets,” stated Mr. Wells.

Click Here for a map of DDOT's proposed parking plan.
Click Here for a summary of the curbside parking management plan.