Free Sunday, overnight parking eliminated in Downtown Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A big change is coming to Nashville’s parking rules starting this weekend, and it could end with you getting a ticket.

Drivers will no longer be allowed to park for free in the evenings or on Sundays in what NDOT designates as the downtown core. Parking meters will be enforced 24/7 in the area inside the I-40 loop as new smart meters replace the existing coin meters.

The program was first announced in December, and NDOT has been working on community outreach and to post new signs since then.

The new smart meters are being installed on a block-by-block basis starting this at the beginning of February. They will allow people to pay by phone, app and QR code. The enforcement hours will change as the new meters are up and running.

Many drivers said they didn’t know about the changes and plan on coming downtown less because of the new parking rules.

“I’m used to parking for free down here, so it’s shocking,” TSU student Kaylin Jackson said. “I would rather go to the school campus library or something like that instead.”

NDOT will also replace the coin meters through Midtown and other parts of Nashville, but those meters will only be active from 6 a.m. to midnight, instead of around the clock in downtown.

Parking meters in downtown, marked in red, will be enforced 24/7 as new smart meters are... — Parking meters in downtown, marked in red, will be enforced 24/7 as new smart meters are installed, NDOT said. Other parts of the city, marked in green, will also have extended metered hours.(NDOT)

City officials said the goal of the project is to increase parking turnover and bring in more money from parking rates. NDOT projects the extended hours will create an extra $250,000 in yearly revenue that can be used for road and infrastructure improvements.

“I understand the tourist industry and making a lot of extra money with parking,” Haylie Stoltz said as she fed the meter before her shift on Broadway. “But the people that work down here, I know we have a lot of turn over at our job because there’s nowhere to park. It’s inconvenient, and people don’t want to come down here.”

NDOT said its parking enforcement contractor is hiring 12 new officers to staff these extra metered hours.

Parking rates are set to remain the same with the new meters, but drivers like Stoltz said having to pay to park around the clock will cancel out any added benefit of the smart meters.

“There is no parking in downtown at all. It’s almost easier to get an Uber at this point,” Stoltz said. “I love the people. I love the atmosphere of downtown. Parking is really the biggest part of it.”