New Metro parking fees set to begin, McKay not happy with changes
New parking fees at a number of Metro stations — including Huntington and Franconia-Springfield — begin on Monday, and one local politician is not happy with some of the changes.
Metro will now charge for parking earlier on weekdays, add a new fee for parking on Saturdays, and raise prices for non-Metro riders who use the lots at many stations, including Huntington and Franconia-Springfield. Metro says the new parking rules are estimated to generate approximately $4 million in additional revenue.
The non-rider daily parking fee will now be $8.95 at both Huntington and Franconia-Springfield, as compared with $4.95 for Metro riders.
Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay said he was particularly disappointed the decision to implement fees for non-Metro users at the Franconia-Spingfield, and described the entire rollout of new parking fees as “poorly thought out” and counterintuitive.
“While I understand the need for increasing revenue, this plan will do the opposite,” McKay said in a statement released Friday.
McKay wants Franconia-Springfield non-riders exempted from the higher daily fee, since the garage is used by both Virginia Railway Express and Metro riders. McKay invoked supply-and-demand principles in his argument, saying that the Franconia-Springfield garage isn’t close to capacity, and that if anything, prices should be lowered to encourage more use.
“The Franconia-Springfield Station’s parking structure is only at 65 percent capacity most days so why in the world would we want to charge more?” said McKay, who is also a commissioner and past chairman for the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission. “Our joint Metro-VRE station is the only such station in the [c]ounty, and this move will hurt the many VRE passengers who choose to park there.”
Riders can also now expect to be charged $2 for parking on Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 2 a.m., while non-riders will need to fork over $8.95 on Saturdays.
Parking fees will also begin two hours earlier in the morning at Huntington and Franconia-Springfield, and go an hour later on Fridays. You will have to now pay to park between these hours:
- Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. – 12:30 a.m.
- Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 2:00 a.m.
- Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m.
If you don’t use a SmartTrip card to pay for parking, you’ll probably want to reconsider that if possible. Riders who pay with a credit card or debit card (including a commuter benefits card issued by an employer) will now play the non-rider fee of $8.95. You must also use the same SmartTrip card to pay for parking that you used to enter/exit the station.
More information on the new fees can be found on the WMATA website.
More NON-INCENTIVE to ride Metro. Is rather for an Uber ride than mess with Metro. That “gimmick” they came up with to refund folks money if they are 15 mins. late for work due to Metro’s fault is bxllxxxx. They’ll get their money back through this ridiculous parking fee. They won’t have to worry about robbing me, I’ll take Uber or a high prices cab before I give them my money. Metro is a death trap and a a joke. It gets NO better week by week!!!! Never anything good about them in the news!!! Ugh!