UPDATED: DART’s paid parking lots begin April 2

You're off the hook if you live in a partner city and have a permit.

If you don't live in one of DART's 13 partner cities and are going to park at the Parker Road or North Carrollton/Frankford stations, you'll have to pay up beginning Monday, April 2.

The paid parking lots will help collect money to "meet the demand that riders outside DART's service area have placed on the rail system while rewarding other residents for their city’s commitment to DART," according to a DART press release.

The DART partner cities are: Addison, Carrollton, Cockrell Hill, Dallas, Farmers Branch, Garland, Glenn Heights, Highland Park, Irving, Plano, Richardson, Rowlett, and University Park. If you live in one of these cities, apply for a parking permit sticker so you can avoid the fees. Find more info about how to apply for a permit here.

If you don't live in a partner fee or don't have a permit, it's $2 for 12 hours; $5 for 24 hours.

UPDATE: After the paid parking lots went into effect, NBCDFW reports that DART riders are packing in to the non-paid stations in order to avoid fees. The article notes, "So many people drove the extra mile to avoid the new fee at Frankford Road that their parked cars spilled into another parking lot across the street in front of a nearby business."

We don't blame them.

wingtipwalker, anonymous:

Since when can you park overnight in a DART parking lot? I thought there was no overnight parking allowed...

1 year, 3 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

Sarah Blaskovich, staff:

wingtipwalker, a DART representative tells me that you will be able to park overnight in those two paid lots -- long as you pay.

1 year, 3 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

Egorsti, anonymous:

$2 for 12 hours or $5 for 24? Sounds like two $2 fees is the better deal for all-nighters!

1 year, 2 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

PowerOn, anonymous:

With extra buck on 24 hours, sound like it add for security. Are they?

1 year, 2 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

Jason Rice, verified:

Thanks for the parking permit link. I'm thinking "Oh, joy, not to find the bloody parking permit junk... like I need a new hobby diggin through DART's site..." -- and Lo! and Behold, Lovely Sarah hath provided it.

Paystation and Platinum Parking Ambassador.... no, I did NOT make up this title.

Looking forward to meeting my new Platinum Parking Ambassador

1 year, 2 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

Jason Rice, verified:

Now if only I had a reason to go to Dallas.

1 year, 2 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

Sarah Blaskovich, staff:

Glad I could help you, Jason. I could list plenty of reasons for you to go to Dallas.

(Shameless plug) There are a few contained here.

1 year, 2 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

Jason Rice, verified:

What's a shameless plug between friends, anyway?

And Lookit-dat! Right off a DART station, in downtown Plano?

1 year, 2 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

jvillapin, anonymous:

now it's $36-44 with no added security thanks but no thanks. I'll be spending that extra money to go down 1 exit further and park in Plano city parking or to the Bush to park for free where my car can be broken but at least I'm not donating half a hundred while it's being rummaged through.

1 year, 2 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

Jason Rice, verified:

Plano city parking will ticket you at 4 hours.

1 year, 2 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

natebramble, anonymous:

This makes me very angry. Since I live in Allen and drive down to Plano to get on DART at Parker Road I guess I'm part of the reason this is being put in place, but I don't understand the logic here. The sales tax in Plano is what's funding DART and here I am bringing my money into Plano to ride the train every day. Not only do I buy my ticket, but I have also shopped at the Best Buy next to the station, spent money at the Auto Zone around the corner, stopped at various restaurants nearby after work for dinner and bought gas for my car in Plano. Riding the DART has brought my money into Plano that goes directly to the DART sales tax! How is that not already a benefit all around? All the riders from Allen, Frisco, Fairview and McKinney are doing the same thing. Plano residents should be THANKING us for bringing our business into town not spitting in our eye. Now I have shell out an additional $40 a month because of the Plano whiners who can't be bothered to get up early enough to grab a choice parking space?

Plano wants to view me as burden to their parking system then fine, I'm not spending another DIME in Plano and I'll be damned if I pay to park there either.

1 year, 2 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

Jason Rice, verified:

Nate, it's easy. Join DART. Member cities don't pay to park.

Granted, you might have to figure out how to run your ENTIRE CITY GOVERNMENT on the same dollar amount you send gleefully to DART each year, so those nifty new convention centers and $60 MILLION high school football stadiums might become less common... But dude, you'd save $40 a month!

1 year, 2 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

Jason Rice, verified:

And HERE are your numbers, Nate.

http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/outbu... (Yes, it's just a link to dallasnews, but I found it on Peg, and Peg deserves the link-thru -- Man, I like our Mayor)

You poo-poo the need for Plano to reclaim some of its huge investment. Well pony up at home... and not the lame-o $500K McKinney is talking about for a stupid selfish shuttle (which I hope we find a way to TOLL the hell out of) http://www.planostar.com/articles/201...
But a real stake. A real player. A real commitment, like the $60 million a year Plano makes.

Then again, maybe the 50% of riders at the Parker Station ARE kicking in their fair share.

....yes, it's Math Time with Jason

So with 2078 spaces, half of those are our generous neighbors.
That's 1039. Each of which buy lots of stuff each workday. Well with holidays, that's
250 days a year

Hey - that's a lot of chances to prop up the greedy Plano economy, so maybe Nate has a point.

So that is
259750 Car/Days worth of real spending we are talking.
Wow.
Now dividing $60 million by the percentage those riders of the daily total of 3400 commuters
and that by the number of "Car/Days"
$60,000,000.00 / 3.272 / 259750
then using that number as the
$0.01 per dollar of sales tax
..... carry the 7.... minus 3....shift twice left
(that's just over $70 a day)
And lets deduct the $4 a day fare

That means I should shut up because Nate spends
$6659 a day, or roughly ONE NEW CAR PER WEEK.

In Plano to cover his fair share. Roughly a cool million and a half last year alone.

WHOA!!

Wow! Thanks Nate!
I take back everything I said.
You just keep buying those Event Centers.
We are lucky to call you "friend"

I do think we should give a waiver to people that spend enough in Plano to cover their parking. That's just $200 a visit.
Whatadeal!!

1 year, 2 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

mattbasically, anonymous:

I completely understand this, seeing as how I get on at Downtown Plano, to go to work, and the train is nearly full, mostly from people in outlying cities. It IS full by the time we get to the next stop at Bush Turnpike, with people from Garland, Wylie, et al.

The double kicker for me is that I live a mile from Downtown Plano station, and they're closing the lot there. So now, to drive to a station, I now either have to drive to Parker Road or George Bush.

The thing that upsets me most about this, though, is that I do live in Plano and have for 2 years, but my parents (who live in Houston) own my car and pay the insurance on it. I assume I'm not the only one like this; I bet it's probably like this for many college students, as well as people who may drive a company car that isn't registered to them, but to their company.

Does anyone know if I'm SOL on getting a sticker, or if there is a way I can get one?

1 year, 2 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

What do you think?

Find out how to share this comment with Facebook

See more stories in:

DART

Similar
Stories