​Beginning on Jan, 1. 2019, parking improvements in downtown Bend will make parking easier, safer, and more available for people looking for places to park.
 
Here are the five changes coming to downtown:

1. Enforcement times will be extended to 7 p.m. to increase turnover for on-street parking and provide better access to businesses during evening hours in the busiest parts of downtown.
2. The ParkMobile app will be available as a quick, easy option for downtown patrons to pay for parking in the Mirror Pond Lots and Centennial Garage. ParkMobile will be the only way to pay for parking at the Greenwood/Wall Lot and Irving Street.
3. Parking permits will change from paper to virtual permits to make paying for and managing parking permits easier for downtown employees.
4. A four-hour time limit will go into effect for the Mirror Pond Lots to increase turnover and make more parking spaces available.
5. New parking rates will support better downtown parking management by encouraging people to park in the right places for the right amount of time, and respond to community expectations for parking availability, equity in opportunities for all downtown patrons, and the economic vitality of downtown.

 
“We know these improvements might taking some getting used to,” said Drew Dietrich parking demand manager for the City. “We’re going to start off by focusing our efforts on education first. Then we’ll move into enforcement. Our goal is to help people going downtown make the best use of the limited number of parking stalls and have a better experience while doing it.”

​For more information on downtown parking, visit www.bendoregon.gov/parking.