NORTHAMPTON — Reforms to Northampton’s parking system are officially in full effect across the city as a way for visitors of downtown to find parking near where they want to go.

Back in January, the City Council approved an ordinance that adjusts the time of parking fees at on-and off-street parking from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., a slight difference from the previous window of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

After a soft rollout phase, full enforcement of these “long overdue” reforms officially went into effect on March 27. Parking rules do not apply on Sundays.

What are the changes?

According to a release sent to Reminder Publishing, the two-hour limit on parking across the downtown area is completely eliminated while fee rates are adjusted to improve parking space usage and discourage long-term parking at prime locations.

For example, the fees for parking along Main Street and Crafts Avenue have increased to $1.50 per hour between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and $2 per hour between 5 and 8 p.m. on Monday through Friday. The rate increases to $2 per hour on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Other areas — like Center Street, Bridge Street and Hawley Street — have a new hourly rate of $.50 per hour between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and $1 per hour between 5 and 8 p.m. those same days. The hourly rate on Saturdays on those streets are $1 an hour from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The three-hour limit to park in the Armory and Masonic Street lots is eliminated and the hourly rate is reduced to $.50 per hour between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Additionally, the 10-hour limit to park is eliminated at the Hampton Avenue Lot, James House Lot, Old South Street Lot (except the spaces in front of the Maplewood Shops) and the Round House Lot (except the first aisle). Hourly rates remain at $.25 per hour at those lots from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The 10-hour limit is also eliminated at the Strong Avenue Lot and West Street Lot, where the hourly rate remains at $.50 per hour between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Lastly, the E.J. Garage is still accessible 24/7 with the first hour of parking free. The monthly permit rate for the lower level of the garage, however, increased from $90 a month to $110 a month.

Why the changes

According to the release, the elimination of parking time limits and the changes to the fees were a result of parking studies conducted by engineering consultant Stantec.

The study — which was finished last summer — was titled “The Shifted Role of Parking Downtowns,” and included better ways to manage the city’s parking system.

The city found a few key issues that lead to these changes including how the cost of parking in the most desirable locations was too similar to parking in slightly farther locations, meaning there was no incentive to walk an extra block.

The city also found that most were not aware of all the parking options downtown and that the hours of the prior parking system were not aligned with the times people actually park downtown.

After the study was conducted in the summer, Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra submitted proposed changes to the parking system to the City Council in the fall. After deliberations at the Legislative Matters meeting and Transportation and Parking Commission, the council officially voted to approve the changes in January.

“We’re now following expert-tested best practices on managing our parking system by removing time limits which was a main concern for many, shifting the parking system hours to match use, decreasing hourly parking rates for most of the time and most of the parking lots and side streets, and increasing circulation on the most in-demand spots on Main Street and Crafts Avenue by increasing fees to match demand,” said Sciarra, in a statement to Reminder Publishing. “As always, I remind those with accessible parking placards that they can park in any spot free of charge. We hope that people will come downtown and can now more easily stay as long as they want and choose the best location for their needs.”

The city encourages visitors to follow signage about parking rules near where they have parked. The Parkmobile app also reflects the new rules.