NEW CONCORDIA — Drivers using the city’s newest downtown parking app are learning an important lesson about modern commerce: The meter may be gone, but the suffering remains.
ParkNC rolled out this month at more than 3,000 curbside spaces. A $2 parking session can now include a 35-cent convenience fee, a 20-cent “mobility infrastructure assessment” and, according to several angry users, a mysterious charge labeled “service optimization.”
“I optimized my service by parking at the grocery store and walking six blocks,” downtown worker Lindsey Brooks said.
ParkNC officials said the charges support payment processing, software maintenance and future improvements. Asked whether motorists could avoid the fees by paying with coins, a spokesperson confirmed the new meters do not accept them.
Nearby businesses say customers are already circling longer, parking farther away or abandoning quick trips altogether.
The City Council Transportation Committee plans to review the fee structure next month, assuming members can find parking near City Hall.