Covington will soon be testing out a new, on-demand system of reserved parking city officials hope will help drivers find a spot faster and ease up street parking.
The Motor Vehicle Parking Authority, a city-affiliated but independent organization, is spearheading the changes. Executive Director Jack Monts de Oca says initially, reservations will only be available at two downtown Covington garages: Midtown and Rivercenter.
“We have these garages that often have 200 to 400 empty unused spaces on a Friday or Saturday night,” Monts de Oca said. “While people are circling the block, hoping to find a meter.”
People will be able to make reservations through a third-party app, ParkWhiz, or navigate to the app through the parking authority’s website.
Parking reservations are not new. Across the river, Cincinnati drivers can reserve parking any day of the week, but most frequently during sports and city events. Covington and Newport garages have also offered parking reservations in the past, but only for events and on game days.
When parking at a meter, residents typically pay about $1.25 per hour with no extra fee. But paying through a third-party app, like ParkWhiz or Cincy Parks, usually comes with a small booking fee proportional to the hours paid for. Since reservations will be made through the app, drivers can expect to see that booking fee, but there will be no added fee for making reservations.
“There's not currently any plan in the works to raise rates, but we're always looking,” Monts de Oca said. “We're always trying to critically think about whether our rates are consistent with the demand on each block.”
For example, Monts de Oca said at the Rivercenter garage, rates are typically more expensive than street parking. Hourly rates in the Midtown garage are cheaper than surrounding street meters.
Monts de Oca also said drivers can book reservations in Covington for game days in Cincinnati, and they plan to keep those prices competitive to drive people into the city. People attending games typically see options for parking reservations after booking their tickets — and Covington’s Rivercenter garage will now be an option too.
“Our rates for a Bengals game are meaningfully cheaper than what you'll find on the riverfront in Cincinnati, so we're hoping that that'll help publicize that,” Monts de Oca said.
Covington’s parking authority hopes to open reservations by June 10.
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