Politics & Government
Fairfax Supervisor Fights $8.95 Franconia Parking Fee
VRE riders will be among the group Metro charges a higher parking fee of nearly $9 at Franconia-Springfield.
FRANCONIA, VA—Starting Monday, Feb. 5, Metro will move forward with a pilot program of charging non-riders higher parking rates and fees on Saturdays at stations for those parking but not using the Metro system. Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay is calling on Metro to exempt Franconia-Springfield from the change, which would charge non-riders $8.95. He says the non-rider fee with hurt VRE riders at Franconia-Springfield, the only joint Metro and VRE station in the county.
The non-rider fees, ranging in amounts up to $10, are part of a six-month pilot program Metro is testing to find more revenue. But McKay believes lowering parking rates and "simplifying" the Metro system would bring in more revenue.
"“While I understand the need for increasing revenue, this plan will do the opposite” said McKay in a statement. “The Franconia-Springfield Station’s parking structure is only at 65% capacity most days so why in the world would we want to charge more?"
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While the higher fee is geared toward non-riders, it would apply to anyone paying with a credit card, anyone paying with a SmarTrip card not used for their Metro ride, or anyone paying with a SmarTrip card exiting the parking lot more than two hours after the start of their last Metro trip.
Drivers can avoid the non-rider fee by paying with their SmarTrip cards immediately after exiting the Metro system.
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Also starting Feb. 5 will be $2 parking on Saturdays and extended hours for parking fees. Fees will be collected two hours earlier on all weekdays and one hour later on Fridays. The new hours are 7:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m. Mondays to Thursdays, 7:30 a.m.-2 a.m. on Fridays and 10 a.m.-2 a.m. on Saturdays. See a full list of parking fee charges here.
Members of the Metro board from Virginia proposed an exemption for Saturday parking fees at Fairfax County stations but Washington, DC vetoed it, along with a request for delay, Fairfax Times reported.
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Image via Patch editor Emily Leayman
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