Read the Signs: Brentwood Parking Meter Hours Extended

New signs posted at metered parking spaces have extended the hours that metered parking is enforced. Many Brentwood drivers may have been caught unaware of the changes. Now, metered parking is enforced from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays.

Bruce Gillman, public information officer for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, said the L.A. City Council voted to raise the prices and extend the hours of meters to "undercut the cost" of the new, improved meters and to "raise revenue."

Parking fees, said Gillman, are based on "congestion pricing." Meters reflect the demand for space: Parking in Brentwood will cost you $4 per hour. Fees are $1 per hour in less busy districts.

The new meters are credit card-friendly and can notify enforcement when a meter has expired. Eventually, meters may be used to inform subscribers exactly where metered parking is available and with pre-paid, reloadable parking cards. One plan includes lower fees to reflect a drop in demand for parking during slow hours.

Satellite reconnaissance technology is set to go into use in January 2012 in an experimental district in downtown Los Angeles. Meters will advise enforcement of status updates automatically.

Gillman noted that this technology can be used to notify registered users that their time is running out and ask them if they wish to "feed" the meter by a cell phone "service call." The service calls will only be used to "feed" the meter in the event that the user has not exceeded the posted time limit.

"The purpose of parking meters is to encourage turnover," and to bring new customers into business districts, Gillman said. The time limits open up parking spaces to allow a flow of traffic. Citations can be issued for exceeding the time limit even if there is time left on the meter.

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