As a part of their 2011 fiscal budget, Arlington County board members approved a plan to charge tour buses for parking spaces! According to the Arlington Sun Gazette, Arlington County raked in about $3,300, in its first few weeks, since requiring the tour buses to use the designated parking spaces. The new parking fees charge tour buses $3 per hour and allows the county to levy fines against violators.
The parking areas set aside by the county for tour buses include: South Hayes Street in Pentagon City, South Four Mile Run in Shirlington, 18th Street South in Crystal City, and North Randolph and North Quincy Streets in Ballston.
Now how does the tourism/hospitality industry and the American Bus Association feel about such charges? As you can imagine, their main argument to these additional fees is that their buses bring tourists, and these tourists spend money on local hotels, restaurants, retails, etc. The Arlington Sun Gazette goes on to mention that “a single motorcoach, spending one night at a typical destination, generates upward of $11,600 for the local economy.”
However, the new parking charges, expected to bring in approximately $90,000- $100,000 in their first year, are now in effect, and being enforced!
So automobiles and motorcoaches can now commiserate over the cost associated with parking in Arlington County!
