Not that parking is much of a problem right now, at least in business districts … we’re just back from a West Seattle Junction walkabout and the views above and below are part of what we saw.

But all the same, the city has just sent this announcement, which applies to residential areas too:

Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced today that the Seattle Department of Transportation and Seattle Police Department are implementing temporary changes to parking enforcement in the City of Seattle. As parking and transportation needs have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SDOT is adjusting its parking rules to better support residents’ and businesses’ needs during this time.

…

Rule changes will be made to the following three areas:

72-Hour Parking Rule
Booting and Towing
Temporary Restaurant Loading Zones

The following three changes will be in effect until further notice:

72-Hour Parking Rule

The City will temporarily suspend enforcement of the 72-hour parking rule. People should still follow posted signs regarding other time restrictions. Vehicles without Residential Parking Zone permits must still obey time limits in those zones. This suspension will initially last for two weeks. During this time the City will actively monitor health and safety conditions and impacts to surrounding communities. The City may extend the suspension or make additional temporary adjustments to the enforcement procedures.

Booting and Towing

The City will limit towing to situations which create safety hazards, block access, or create other major issues. The City will suspend booting of vehicles with unpaid parking tickets for the duration of the Seattle Municipal Court closure.

Temporary Restaurant Loading Zones

SDOT is installing temporary loading zones at restaurants to support businesses and facilitate food pick-up. No payment is necessary for quick food pickups in the three-minute load zones. Residents can find all temporary loading zones on the COVID19 – Food Pick-Up Zone Map. Restaurants can request temporary load zones by contacting SDOT at 206-684-ROAD or 684-ROAD@seattle.gov.

All other standard parking rules will continue to be enforced, including unpermitted parking or blocking access to an existing or created zone at clinics and hospitals, fire hydrants, police precincts or other public health and safety locations, and illegal parking in a bicycle or transit lane. Payment will still be required for on-street parking at metered spaces and other parking time limits will continue to be enforced so that there will still be available parking spaces in front of businesses and other destinations. Time limits and use of special zones will still be enforced (e.g., transit zones, shuttle bus zones, taxi zones). SDOT and SPD will continue to evaluate potential additional changes to parking regulations and enforcement.

Information on changes to parking citations, fines, and adjudication can be found on SDOT’s COVID-19 parking page…..

See the full news release here.