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City of Austin to lift 2-hour parking time limit, start pay-by-plate

The change starts Sept. 1 and applies to parking spaces citywide.

AUSTIN, Texas — Say goodbye to the two-hour time limit when it comes to parking downtown.

Starting Tuesday, Sept. 1, you’ll be able to park for up to 10 hours in the same spot, but the cost will go up the longer you park.

“We are adopting a more flexible street parking system,” Austin Transportation Director Robert Spillar wrote in a memo to the city council. “These time limits do not accommodate human error or other circumstances that may affect a parking session.”

Spillar said not paying parking citations “can lead to consequences that exacerbate inequities in our community,” including credit score problems or eventual property loss.

The first two hours of parking downtown will stay $2 each. From there, the cost will increase in tiers.

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For the third hour, it’ll cost $3. The fourth hour will cost $3.50. The fifth hour goes up to $4. The sixth hour is $4.50. Then the seventh hour and beyond are $5 each.

“The increasing variable rate also discourages people seeking to use on-street parking spaces as their commuter parking space,” Spillar wrote.

The City will also start pay-by-plate, which will get rid of the need for putting a sticker on your windshield.

Instead, you’ll have to enter your license plate information. The City said that will help with convenience, cost savings, enforcement and capturing data.

If you use a credit card at parking pay stations, a $0.25 fee will be added to each transaction.

WATCH: Austin to lift 2-hour parking time limit, start pay-by-plate

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