On-street parking downtown will be free Friday and Saturday evenings in July, according to a City of Bloomington press release Wednesday.
Beginning this Friday, all metered street parking downtown will be free beginning at 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Parking is enforced starting at 8 a.m. Saturday but is free all day Sunday. Parking is $1 per hour at the meters, which can be paid through ParkMobile, credit and debit cards or coins.
The goal of the initiative is to increase foot traffic and visitors to local businesses, per the release.
“By offering free parking on Friday and Saturday evenings, we hope to make it easier for people to come downtown, explore, and enjoy all that our vibrant community and local businesses have to offer,” Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson said in the release.
Thomson will be available to meet with Bloomington residents 5-7 p.m. this Friday and July 27 downtown.
For Fourth of July, the city and local businesses will host events across Bloomington, including on Friday and Saturday. Street and surface lot parking will be free Thursday for the holiday.
Here’s where else to park around the city and campus.
Where else is parking available in Bloomington?
There are four public garages managed by the city:
- The 4th Street Garage, at 105 W. Fourth St.
- The Trades District Garage, at 489 W. 10th St.
- The Morton Street Garage, at 220 N. Morton St.
- The Walnut Street Garage, at 300 N. Walnut St.
Each garage is $.50 an hour, but parking is free Sundays.
There are also four surface lots downtown:
- At Dunn and E. Fourth Streets.
- At E. Fourth and Washington Streets.
- At E. Sixth and Lincoln Streets.
- At E. Third and Washington Streets.
Parking costs $1 per hour but is free on holidays and Sundays.
There’s also free two-hour parking on Rogers Street from Fifth to 11th Street, on Washington Street from Second to Third Street and Lincoln Street from Third to Smith Street.
Parking is always free on Grant Street from Second to Smith Street and on Madison Street from Second to Third Street.
Where is parking available around campus?
All IU parking will be free Thursday for Fourth of July, as well as on other holidays.
Through Aug. 16, parking enforcement on campus will be scaled back. Parking will be free from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Friday and from 6 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday. However, locations have specific hours during the academic year.
IU manages six garages:
- The Atwater Parking Garage, at 921 E. Atwater Ave.
- The East Parking Garage, at 150 N. Eagleson Ave.
- The Fee Lane Parking Garage, at 709 N. Fee Lane.
- The Forrest Avenue Parking Garage, at 1015 E. 11th St.
- The Henderson Parking Garage, at 310 S. Fess Ave.
- The Poplars Parking Garage, at 415 E. Sixth St.
Fees depend on the length of time, but the maximum rate per day is $30 and is $3 per hour at the ungated garages. All garages accept credit card and CrimsonCard. Henderson Parking Garage also accepts cash, and Poplars and East Parking Garages also accept cash, coins and ParkMobile.
Parking is free at the gated garages — Henderson, Atwater, Fee Lane and Forrest Avenue — from 6 p.m. Friday through 7 a.m. Monday throughout the academic year.
It’s free at the ungated garages — East and Poplars Grove — on weekends from 10 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday throughout the academic year. The ungated garages require a valid permit to be displayed beginning at 7 a.m. on weekdays.
Each garage has its own hours of operation throughout the week, which can be found online.
IU also offers some metered parking near dormitories and other locations. It costs $2 per hour from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and $1 per hour 5:01 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. It’s free from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. throughout the week.
Maximum time limits vary, but many only allow for one-hour parking. There is no time limit at Campus View and Tulip Tree Apartments. Metered parking is free from 10 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday throughout the academic year.
There are three surface lots available for free parking from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. throughout the week and from 5 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday:
- Lot No. 412, at the corner of Fourth and Dunn Streets.
- Lot No. 402, at the corner of Sixth and Dunn Streets.
- The Von Lee parking lot, which is temporarily closed due to an ongoing renovation project.
Parking in CH and ST zones is free without a permit when classes aren’t in session and during academic breaks. The zones are also free from 5 p.m. Friday to 11 p.m. Sunday, unless otherwise posted or on home game days. The CH and ST zones include the white and purple lots near Memorial Stadium.
One-day campus visitor passes are available for those unaffiliated with IU. They can be purchased at the parking operations office and other select locations on campus.
