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Chapel Hill commuters will have to wait at least two more weeks to find out if they will be required to pay for access to local park-and-ride lots.

At a meeting Monday night, the Chapel Hill Town Council delayed a decision on a proposed $250 annual fee so the town can approach Triangle Transit about contributing financially on behalf of its riders.

The lots — which are located at Eubanks Road, Jones Ferry Road, Southern Village and Carrboro Plaza — are used by many residents who drive to the lots and then commute to locations throughout the Triangle via public transit.

The proposed fee would bring in about $81,000 for Chapel Hill, and the University would pay an estimated $150,000 for its students and employees that use the Chapel Hill lots.

Council members decided Monday to revisit the discussion on April 10 after asking Triangle Transit to pay for park-and-ride lot users who commute by Triangle Transit rather than Chapel Hill Transit.

Mayor Pro Tem Ed Harrison said he was concerned that the fee would lead to a decrease in users.

“Triangle Transit staff are certain if the kind of fees we are talking about are put on that lot it will affect their ridership,” he said.

Triangle Transit estimates only a small proportion of Chapel Hill park-and-ride lot users commute on Triangle Transit.

Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said he thought these commuters should be an exception.

“If people could prove citizenship of Chapel Hill and that they are not affiliated with the University, we could give them a discount. I think it would be great if we could waive it,” he said. “I don’t think it would hurt us too much.”

Chapel Hill resident Nuno Gomes said he is one of the park-and-ride users who commutes to Raleigh on Triangle Transit.

“One of the main reasons I use the bus is to save money,” he said. “I would love to see an exemption for people who don’t use the town services.”

Council member Jim Ward said it makes more sense to have Triangle Transit pay for its riders than waive the fee.

Ward also represents the Town Council on the town public transit committee, which endorsed the fee on March 19. He said because UNC decided to begin charging a fee for its park-and-ride lots, Chapel Hill has to do the same.

The University will charge a minimum annual fee of $227 for the use of its nine park-and-ride lots beginning in August.

Brian Litchfield, Chapel Hill Transit’s interim director, said if UNC begins charging for park-and-ride lots and Chapel Hill does not, people will fill up the free lots to avoid paying a fee.

“We already have capacity issues at some of our park-and-rides. We wouldn’t necessarily be able to handle additional folks coming,” he said.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.

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