SEATTLE — Editor's note: The video above originally aired in July 2019 when King County Council approved single-occupancy vehicle parking permits at park and rides.
Single-occupancy vehicle parking permits went on sale Monday at nine popular King County park-and-rides.
The permits will go into effect December 2.
King County Council approved the permits back in July, allowing vehicles to reserve a spot Monday-Friday from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. The permit reservations are be valid at Aurora Village, Bear Creek, Bothell, Kenmore, Redmond, South Kirkland, Tukwila, Issaquah Highlands, and Shoreline park and rides.
Commuters can purchase permits through Republic Parking Northwest. Drivers must go to a participating park-and-ride at least 12 days per month in order to be eligible.
Permits are free for carpools, but single-occupancy vehicles will pay between $60 and $90 per month depending on the location. Seven lots will charge $90, and two lots will charge $60 per month.
ORCA Lift participants can reserve permits for $20 per month.
Metro officials hope the new permit system will allow people who travel or work during nontraditional commute times to still use the park-and-rides. In some cases, facilities can fill up before 7 a.m.
King County Metro does not plan to allow permits for more than 50% of spaces in the lots, and the exact number of permitted spots will depend on the demand. Metro will designate 10% of spaces for ORCA Lift cardholders.
For example, at Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride, which is the largest park and ride offering paid permits, 505 of the facility’s 1,010 spots could be purchased. South Kirkland is the second largest with 416 of the facility’s 833 parking slots open for permits.
All park and rides selected for the permit program have at least a 90% occupancy during a typical weekday, according to King County Metro.
In July, council members also approved solo parking permits at Northgate Transit Center for $120 per month. However, King County Metro no longer plans to offer paid permits for single-occupancy vehicles there. Since the council approved the plan, Sound Transit added additional parking nearby, and the lot is no longer at least 90% full on weekdays, according to King County Metro spokesperson Torie Rynning.
The parking permit program is estimated to bring in a net revenue of $523,449 the first year and $1.2 million the year after that.