City of Newport votes to raise hourly parking rates starting in May

NEWPORT, R.I. (WLNE) — Just weeks away from the start of paid-parking season in Newport, and this year is bringing higher hourly rates to meters. 
 
“I think as far as locals go, it’s going to deter the locals, because locals do not like to pay for parking,” Fay Thompson, the Owner of the Newport Silver Company said. 
 
Thompson has owned her shop on Thames Street for 26 years, and sees this rate hike as a possible road block for her customers. 
 
“I’m definitely against it, definitely against it, because I want my customers to be able to park there for a longer period of time so they’ve got more time to shop,” she said. 
 
The city council, meeting over a week ago, approved these hikes during peak hours, meaning the hourly rate would spike from $1.25 an hour to $4 dollars an hour. 
 
Those who work the parking lots in town think price doesn’t matter when people travel to Newport. 
 
“In the summertime by 10 o’clock in the morning we’re full, so people go for the meters, so I really don’t think it’s going to make a difference if the price went up on the meters because people will pay it,” Harry Borodemos, a Newport Parking Supervisor told ABC6 News. 
 
Borodemos has worked in the Newport parking lots for over a decade, he said sometimes the lots charge between $30 and $50 dollars a car. 
 
“There’s nowhere to park downtown here, they either have to pay, or come into a parking lot, so, it’s actually cheaper if they can get a spot on the street but a lot of people pay the prime time and they park here,” he said. 
 
These meter rates will be in-effect from May 1st till October 31st. 
 
“People just toss the money out and park they don’t care how much it is so like I said I don’t think the meters are going to be a big difference at all,“ Borodemos said. 
 
“It won’t discourage everybody but I think a lot of people yeah,“ Thompson added.