Contact (Media Only): Erik Linden (202) 671-2004

(Washington, DC) The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) today announced that commercial vehicles utilizing the K Street corridor between 12th Street and 21st Street, NW, will be required to pay for curbside loading and unloading between the hours of 7 am and 6:30 pm, Monday through Friday, beginning on February 1, 2007.

Drivers of commercial vehicles that use this area for loading and unloading will now utilize DDOT’s multi-space parking meters to pay the applicable meter fee of $1 per hour—with a maximum stay of two hours. DDOT’s solar-powered multi-space meters accept coins, credit and debit cards. Previously, loading and unloading in this corridor was free of charge with unlimited time.

The new regulation comes as part of a recommendation of the Downtown Congestion Task Force and the Mayor’s Parking Task Force, which looked at ways to reduce congestion in the District’s downtown core. The new regulation will help reduce double parking, create incentive to move after making a delivery and create “turnover” in parking spaces—therefore relieving congestion in an area that has one of the highest truck volumes in the District.

“This is good news for traffic flow in the District’s downtown K Street corridor,” said Emeka Moneme, acting Director of DDOT. “At DDOT we are always looking at ways to ease congestion—and along with our community partners we feel this is a step in the right direction.”

Rich Bradley, Executive Director of the Downtown Business Improvement District said: “We applaud DDOT’s effort to encourage loading zone turnover through metering. Efficient goods and services delivery in downtown matters to the businesses dependent on the deliveries and to all downtown travelers.”

“DDOT’s metering of loading zones on K Street is part of a strategy for improving mobility through greater downtown,” said Leona Agouridis, Executive Director, Golden Triangle Business Improvement District. “This not only benefits businesses through efficient delivery of goods and services, but also boosts transportation access to work, shops, restaurants and entertainment in the city center,"

New signage installed by DDOT in late 2006 reflects the new regulations and advises commercial vehicles of the new requirements.

In late 2006, DDOT installed 27 multi-space parking meters on K Street between 12th and 21st Streets, Northwest. The District’s Department of Public Works (DPW) will oversee enforcement of the new regulation.