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Los Angeles officials announced a new program today where parking prices at curbside and city lot meters in Downtown L.A. will rise and fall based on the demand for spaces.
Parking fees will increase by as much as 50 percent to $6 per hour during the busiest times of the day. During slow periods, parking could be dropped from its current $1 per hour down to 50 cents, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The goal of the LA Express Park program is to "use real-time technology to make parking in LA fast, easy and smart," according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.
Drivers can go onto laexpresspark.org or use one of the LA Express Park smart phone apps to locate parking spaces and to put additional money in meters.
This is a one-year pilot program, according to the LADOT, that was createded with $15 million in national grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation and $3.5 million in city funds. The goal is to learn if technology can help the city increase parking availability, reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, and encourage the use of alternative modes of transportation.
