Permit parking program expanding

In order to provide frequent transit riders with reliable parking, the Sound Transit Board today voted to offer reserved permit parking options to solo drivers. 

Permits will give their holders access to priority parking areas on weekdays during the morning rush hours. Up to fifty-percent of spaces at our highest-demand lots will be reserved for train and bus riders who use parking permits.

Interested?

Sign up for more information to stay informed about the new solo parking permits. 

This will be an expansion of our popular carpool permit parking program where carpoolers who ride transit an average of 12 times a month qualify for reserved parking spaces.  

Carpool permits will be free once the solo permit program is running. 

Despite the success of the carpool permit parking program, we continued to receive rider complaints about the difficulty of finding space at park-and-ride facilities.

Earlier this year, the agency surveyed riders about whether Sound Transit should expand the carpool permit parking program to solo drivers. Riders identified the need to ensure availability of parking as their top priority for expanding the program.

Programs like these can make a big difference for many commuters by providing the peace-of-mind of knowing they will have a place to park without having to arrive earlier than needed. That extra time can mean a lot for busy commuters who may have to drop kids at childcare or can’t get to the station by 6 a.m. to find a parking spot.

Monthly permit prices, the specific parking facilities where permits will be offered and the opening date for permit sales at each will be announced in late October.

Prices will be determined by market surveys of local parking rates and other information. 

Sales of permits for the Northgate garage are scheduled to begin late October with riders able to begin parking in the reserved spots when the station opens. 

The following Sound Transit facilities are being considered for inclusion in the solo driver parking permit program in 2019:

• Mukilteo, Edmonds, Tukwila, Kent, Auburn, Sumner, Puyallup and Lakewood Sounder stations;
• The Federal Way Transit Center, Issaquah Transit Center and Mercer Island Park-and-Ride
• Tukwila International Blvd and Angle Lake Link light rail stations

Sign up for alerts to stay up to date on the latest permit parking news or contact parking@soundtransit.org.

Get more information in our FAQ sheet.