parking at bev depot commuter rail gets cheaper!

SALEM — It’s going to cost MBTA commuters a lot less to park and ride at the Beverly Depot station and a lot more to do so at Swampscott’s lots come Aug. 1.
The T’s governing board approved a new parking policy on Monday meant to encourage parking at underused lots and garages and raise millions in additional parking fees.
MBTA parking prices have not changed in 10 years, according to the T.
The Fiscal and Management Control Board voted to increase weekday parking rates at 32 commuter lots and garages. Rates will go down at 21 stations and remain unchanged at 46. On the weekends, 98 T facilities will see a 50-percent price drop, while one lot will remain the same.
In Swampscott, the weekday cost to park at lots on Railroad Avenue and Burrill Street will go from $4 to $6, a 50-percent price hike. However, the price to park on weekends will drop from $4 to $2.
A presentation on the pricing plan provided by the T shows Swampscott’s station at 100 percent occupancy on weekdays, while neighboring Lynn is at 21 percent. The price to park in Lynn will go from $4 to $2 on both weekdays and weekends. Only 3 percent of Swampscott’s commuter parking lots are occupied on the weekends.
The cost to park at the Beverly Depot will drop from $5 to $2 on weekdays and weekends. Weekday occupancy in Beverly is 56 percent for the station’s 498 spaces.
The Salem parking fee will remain at $5 on weekdays, but drop to $2 on weekends. The weekday occupancy rate is 76 percent in Salem, which has 696 spaces.
Gloucester, West Gloucester and Rowley’s parking rate will drop from $4 to $2 on both weekdays and weekends.

Hamilton/Wenham, Newburyport, North Beverly and Montserrat lots will still have a weekday rate of $4, but the weekend rate will drop to $2.
The goal of the plan is to raise $8.5 million per fiscal year, $6.5 million from repricing, plus increased enforcement for scofflaws, premium parking, event pricing and other sources.
T director of revenue Evan Rowe said popular lots are full by 7:30 a.m. on weekdays, while at other lots, thousands of spaces sit empty.
At the Alewife, Braintree and Quincy Adams stations, those that are full by 7:30 a.m., the weekday rate is going from $7 to $10, but the weekend rate will fall to $3.
And, if you are wondering if the lot is full before you get there, real-time garage information on available spaces will be live at several stations, including Salem and Beverly, on Aug. 1, according to the T’s presentation.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
New daily parking rates at MBTA stations as of Aug. 1
Station Present Rate Weekday Weekend
Beverly Depot $5 $2 $2
Gloucester $4 $2 $2
Hamilton/Wenham $4 $4 $2
Newburyport $4 $4 $2
North Beverly $4 $4 $2
Montserrat $4 $4 $2
West Gloucester $4 $2 $2
Rowley $4 $2 $2
Salem $5 $5 $2
Swampscott $4 $6 $2
Source: MBTA