Free Parking on Saturdays During Holidays

In order to support local merchants, the city of Oakland is offering free parking on every Saturday between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day as well as on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

The free parking is being offered at street meters and at four city-owned parking lots and four city-owned garages.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement, “We want to make sure that residents and visitors take advantage of all Oakland has to offer this holiday season by encouraging everyone to support Oakland’s small businesses, which are the backbone of our local economy.”

To keep the flow of shoppers moving, time limits, which range from 30 minutes to five hours, will still be enforced at the meters, lots and garages, city officials said.

If shoppers need more time than a meter allows, they will have to move their cars to another available parking space, according to city officials.

The four city-owned lots that will offer free parking are the Grand Avenue lot in the 3200 block of Grand Avenue, the LakePark lot underneath Interstate Highway 580 between Grand and Lakeshore avenues, the Piedmont Avenue lot on Howe Street between 40th and 41st streets and the Parkway lot on Wayne Avenue near Park Boulevard and East 18th Street.

The four city-owned garages offering free parking are the Frank Mar Garage at 12th and Harrison streets, the Franklin Street Garage at 19th and Franklin streets, the Montclair Garage at 6235 La Salle Ave. and the Clay Street Garage at 14th and Clay streets.

More information about the free holiday parking program can be found on the city’s website.

--Bay City News; Image via Patch File