Mayor /*Michael Nutter*/ wants to double the cost of parking at some meters, and eventually he could triple it.
If approved by City Council, the meter rate would rise in January from $1 to $2 an hour downtown and in parts of West Philadelphia. It could go up to $3 later.
The rate increases are part of a plan to ease downtown congestion. A formal announcement is expected this month, but word of the increase was buried in legislation sent to City Council last week.
Deputy Mayor Rina Cutler insists the goal is not new revenue but to keep people from "circling around looking for a $1-an-hour parking" on the street. The increase would put on-street parking rates closer to those at garages.
