Community Parking Program
Fremont

Installation Starting Soon

SDOT will start installation of the Fremont Parking Plan starting Monday February 23. Pay stations are expected to go "live" on March 9. Time-limit sign and Fremont RPZ Zone 27 installation is expected to start the week of February 23.

SDOT mailed out RPZ applications to eligible residents in mid-January. Eligible residents are those that live inside or adjacent to the RPZ boundary noted on the map. If you believe that you qualify for an RPZ but did not receive an application, please download an application and submit to SDOT at:

Seattle Department of Transportation
Traffic Permits, 37th Floor
700 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3768
PO Box 34996
Seattle, WA 98124-4996

To find out more specific information, or to have an application mailed to you, please call (206) 684-5086.

SDOT issues final parking plan for Fremont

In early 2008, SDOT began assessing Fremont parking with neighborhood businesses and residents. SDOT issued a draft parking plan this past summer. After receiving and considering a substantial number of comments, SDOT is releasing this final parking plan here.

View details of the plan and map here.

SDOT is making these changes to:

• provide more reliable customer and resident access
• promote more dependable parking turnover in high demand areas and where compliance with existing signs is poor, and
• to enhance safety and livability

The paid parking in the final plan is significantly scaled back from the draft proposal, after reviewing all the comments received.

Please contact Mary Catherine Snyder at 206-684-8186 or communityparking@seattle.gov with any questions.

What are the specifics of the parking plan?

• Residential Parking Zone (RPZ) will be installed on one side of residential streets for Monday through Saturday with:
• 2-hour parking allowed from 8 am to 8 pm for non-permit holders
• no non-permit holder parking allowed from 8 pm to midnight
• New time-limit signs will be added and on some streets near restaurants, time limits will extend until 10 pm.
• Paid parking will be installed on core business district streets
• In paid areas, existing 30-minute Truck Load Only signs will be converted to 30-minute Commercial Vehicle Loading Zones where payment will be required and non-truck licensed commercial vehicles will be eligible to park.

Installation timeline

• Mid-December: SDOT will mail an RPZ permit application to eligible residents
• January: prior to installation, sidewalks will be marked to denote kiosk and sign locations
• February: Installation is expected to start

Background

SDOT studies in 2005 and 2008 confirmed on-street parking is full along streets in the business district, making it challenging to find a place to park.

Specific findings of the 2008 Fremont parking study include:

• The majority of blocks were more than 75% full for the most of the day, with higher utilization rates at lunchtime
• Parking spaces on the blocks between Fremont Avenue N and Troll Avenue N were as full as 90%
• Unrestricted spaces in the western area were between 91% to 140% full – meaning many drivers are parked too close to driveways, intersections and fire hydrants
• Compliance with time-limits was poor; in some areas less than 60% of vehicles parked within the posted time-limit

When use of on-street parking spaces reaches 75% or higher, as it is throughout Fremont, SDOT considers implementing parking management changes to ensure that parking spaces are available for customers.

After completing a parking planning effort in 2005, SDOT installed 2-hour signs to effectively add 150 short-term parking spaces to the business district.

Other Ways that SDOT is Working in Fremont

New Transit Service to Fremont

Last September, the routes 26 and 28 started operating between downtown and Fremont every 10 minutes during peak hours and 15 minutes Sundays and evenings until 10 p.m. New service was added with funds from Transit Now and Bridging the Gap.

Fremont Bridge Approaches Replacement and Circulation Project

• The Fremont Bridge Approach Replacement Project is complete, enhancing mobility and access via the bridge. Visit www .seattle.gov/fremontbridge for more information.

Bicycle Racks

• SDOT has installed many bike racks in Fremont. Please contact the SDOT Bike Program with a request.