Prices to park in Towson?s four public garages will increase starting Saturday, revenue authorities said.
The increase will mostly affect customers who park for less than an hour or more than six hours, said the authority?s executive director, George Hale. Monthly rates will increase $5 and the first 60 minutes for hourly customers will increase from $3.50 to $4, he said.
The prices for hours between 2 and 5 will not change, he said, but the maximum daily rate will increase from $9 to $10. Weekend and evening rates after 5:30 p.m. will remain $1.
“We need to operate our parking facilities on a self-supporting basis,” Hale said. “This just reflects general inflation and increased operating and maintenance costs.”
Hale said the revenue authority adjusts garage rates every other year and monthly rates have increased an average of 3 percent since 2004. The oldest of the four public garages is 33 years and the newest is about 15 years, Hale said. The garages can last between 50 and 60 years.
But some residents have complained, including Nora Kotula, president of Friends of the Towson Library. She worries the increases will thwart recent initiatives to get library patrons to come more often and stay longer.
Of the counties 17 library branches, she said the Towson location is the only one without free parking.
“We put a lot of time and money and effort into making it family friendly,” Kotula said. “Even at our annual book sale, people browse and browse and browse. Now, they are going to pay more money for that.”
Hale said the authority has offered library patrons significant discounts and will continue to do so. He said about 85 percent of the library?s patrons park for an hour or less and pay 75 cents or less for parking. All other library customers receive $2 discounts.
The revenue authority, which operates as an entity separate from the county government and receives no tax revenue, operates the garages on Chesapeake Avenue near the library, on Washington and Ware Avenues, Washington and Susquehanna Avenues and Susquehanna and Baltimore Avenues. Towson?s parking meter prices will remain the same.
