The parking honeymoon in Atlanta will soon be over.
At 11:59 p.m. Thursday, the Atlanta’s parking moratorium will end. But for the time being, overnight enforcement of parking meters has been completely scrapped.
Instead, the city has implemented a 7 a.m.-to-7 p.m. enforcement period from Monday to Friday. On Saturdays, enforcement will be from noon until 10 p.m.
There will be no parking enforcement on Sundays.
The changes came after drivers, business owners and patrons protested in mass that the city’s contract with PARKatlanta to control parking enforcement was too severe -- including 24-hour ticketing.
Councilman Kwanza Hall called for a 30-day moratorium on PARKatlanta’s services while the city worked out a compromise. Councilman Michael Julian Bond headed a subcommittee to come up with alternatives.
Although the moratorium ends at midnight, drivers will still be given a chance to ease into the new restrictions. From midnight Friday until Tuesday, PARKatlanta will issue warning tickets, reminding drivers that the moratorium is over.
Tickets will resume in earnest Tuesday. So will booting and towing of cars that are illegally parked or have three or more parking citations.
“Always park with caution,” Bond said. “And for those who still want relief, we are still working.”
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