Q1.

What is ProjectSPACE?

A1.

ProjectSPACE does four things.

1. RESERVES on-street parking spaces for people with disabilities in metered areas.
2. INSTALLS accessible single-space parking meters at the reserved spaces.
3. RETROFITS existing multi-space EZ Park meters to meet most current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards
4. REQUIRES payment from everyone parking at ADA-accessible meters

ProjectSPACE is a joint project between the Parking Authority of Baltimore City and the Mayor's Commission on Disabilities. In addition to the above, ProjectSPACE also increases the duration limit for parking at the meter to at least four hours to give people with disabilities additional time to get to and from their destination.
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Q2.

Where is Project SPACE currently?

A2.

Phase 1 (Central Business District) is bordered by:
North – Franklin Street
East – President Street
South – Pratt Street/Key Highway
West – Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
View a map of Phase 1 with meter locations

Phase 2 of ProjectSPACE (Harbor East/Fells Point) is bordered by:
North – Eastern Avenue
East – Wolfe Street
South – Thames Street
West – Inner Harbor water near Pier Six
View a map of Phase 2 with meter locations.

Phase 3 (Federal Hill) launched on April 17, 2017, and is bordered by:
North - E. Montgomery Street
East - Light Street
South - Ostend Street
West - Sharp Street
View a map with Phase 3 and meter locations.

Phase 4 of ProjectSPACE (Mount Vernon) went into effect October 30, 2017, and is bordered by:
North – Mt. Royal Avenueview a map of individual meter locations. 

Maps (PDFs) outlining each area and locations of reserved spaces are available via the links below.

• Phase 1
• Phase 2
• Phase 3 
• Phase 4
• Phase 5 
  • Hampden
  • Mt. Washington
  • Station North/Midtown
  • Johns Hopkins Hospital/Northeast Market/Parole & Probation 
  • Highlandtown 

Additional areas will be added in the future so please continue to visit our website for updates.
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Q3.

Who does it impact?

A3.

Anyone who parks in Baltimore City, particularly in the areas included in Phases 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of ProjectSPACE, includes employees, patrons, business owners, residents, and visitors.

As of 2013, cars displaying disability hang tags or license plates are subject to posted residential permit parking restrictions. Download the press release from the Department of Transportation for more information.

In the areas where ProjectSPACE has launched, parking meters at both the reserved spaces and the EZ Park meters are equipped with parking meters that meet the newest Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. Payment is required at any meter that meets ADA requirements.
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When did Project SPACE go into effect?

• Phase 1 (Central Business District) - July 2014
• Phase 2 (Fells Point & Harbor East) - September 2016
• Phase 3 (Federal Hill) - April 2017
• Phase 4 (Mt Vernon) - October 2017
• Phase 5 
  • Hampden and Mt. Washington - April 20, 2018
  • Mid-Town and Station North -  July 23, 2018
  • Johns Hopkins Hospital/Northeast Market/Parole & Probation - (Launching July 21, 2023)
  • Highlandtown - March 2023 - May 8, 2023

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Q5.

Why was ProjectSPACE created?

A5.

ProjectSPACE was created to help ease Baltimore’s parking problem by increasing the availability of parking for those with a disability and decreasing disability placard thefts.

Before Phase 1 was launched, it was extremely difficult to find available on-street parking Downtown. The city’s policy of allowing free parking to vehicles displaying disability placards proved too tempting for some without disabilities to resist, leading to the widespread theft and abuse of these placards. While census data from 2010 shows that approximately 10% of Baltimore adults are eligible to apply for disability placards, vehicles with these placards were sometimes taking up 100% of the parking spaces on some downtown blocks, often parking all day.

By removing the free parking associated with disability placards and license plates, the incentive to steal and abuse them was eliminated. Before the launch of Phase 1, the average number of disability placards reported stolen to the Baltimore City Police Department was 23 per month. Since the launch, that average plummeted to just three. View the spreadsheet.

Faced with the prospect of paying full price for parking at a metered location, those who were using disability placards for the free parking and not the accessibility in Phases 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (Mt Washington, Hampden, Station North, and Midtown) now park elsewhere or do not drive. This has freed up hundreds of on-street metered parking spaces every day. Prior to the launch of Project SPACE, 95% of the parking spaces on some of the busiest downtown blocks in Phase 1 were occupied, making it nearly impossible to locate an available parking space. Since the launch, 77% of the same blocks are occupied, increasing the number of parking spaces available by 18%. Watch a video that shows parking before ProjectSPACE and after.

People with disabilities now find it easier to locate a parking space, either at a multi-space parking meter or at one of the single-space meters reserved for people with disabilities. In many cases, they are also paying less than before ProjectSPACE because they were paying to park in a garage, where it would cost three times as much.

Future areas will expand the areas of accessible parking for people with disabilities.
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Q6.

Isn’t free parking for those with disability placards or license plates mandated by law?

A6.

No. There is no Baltimore City or Maryland state law requiring free parking for people with disabilities. The policy of allowing those with disability placards and license plates to be exempt from the required payment of parking meters was created after the 1990 passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), which found the traditional crank-turn parking meters to be non-accessible. The multi-space EZ Park meters that were introduced in 2004 use a newer technology with no crank-turn mechanism. We lowered the credit card reader and coin drop locations in the EZ Park meters in Phases 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (Mt. Washington, Hampden, Station North, and Midtown) to meet the newest ADA standards. New single-space meters installed in the reserved spaces throughout Phases 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (Mt. Washington, Hampden, Midtown, and Station North) meet ADA standards to be more accessible for those with disabilities.
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Q7.

What was Baltimore City’s policy for vehicles parking with a disability placard and/or tag?

A7.

Baltimore City, like many other cities, had a policy (not law) that allowed vehicles displaying a disability placard or tag to park on street for free due to traditional parking meters not meeting Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. This policy will no longer be in effect in Phase 1 (Central Business District), Phase 2 (Fells Point & Harbor East) and Phase 3 (Federal Hill), Phase 4 (Mount Vernon), and Phase 5 (Hampden, Mt. Washington, Station North, and Midtown) of ProjectSPACE. All parkers in these areas, including those with a disability placard and/or tag, will be required to pay for on-street parking.
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Q8.

Does ProjectSPACE affect off-street parking such as parking garages and private lots?

A8.

Off-street parking options such as private garages and lots will not be directly affected by ProjectSPACE. However, as a result of the program, more commuters may choose to park off-street, which will create more on-street parking spaces.
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Q9.

What is the policy for parking at meters that do not meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines?

A9.

If you are parked at a meter that does not meet ADA guidelines, and you are displaying disability plates or a disability placard, you are allowed to park for double the duration of the meter up to four hours.
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Q10.

What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and how does it affect ProjectSPACE?

A10.

The ADA is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990 to increase access for people with disabilities. The ADA provides requirements for accessible parking options for people with disabilities, and ProjectSPACE meets all of these requirements.  Click here to view more information about the ADA. Visit the Office of Equity and Civil Rights' website and their ADA information webpage.
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Q11.

Where can I find information about obtaining a handicap placard and/or tag?

A11.

People with disabilities can contact the Motor Vehicle Administration. 
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