It looks like that pilot program to ease parking congestion in Georgetown by allowing residents to park in front of their own driveways is set to kick-off this summer, but rumors of exorbitant prices for the permits to do so have a few folks seeing red. One man told WJLA the WashTimes he’s heard the annual fee for a driveway-blocking permit could be as high as $180 — a big step up from the $15 annual fee for a residential parking permit.

The program’s intention is to create extra parking spaces for residents in car-crowded Georgetown. Presumably two-car households in the neighborhood could opt to block in one of their vehicles by parking in front of their driveway, thus creating more available spaces on the street. As we noted before, the City Paper wondered aloud about whether drivers hunting for a spot would make traffic worse under the plan, when they stop to take what they think is a legal spot when a resident with such a permit is pulling out, only to discover it’s that person’s driveway.

We contacted DDOT to see if they could give us a ballpark figure for what the permit fee might be, but haven’t heard back yet. We also hope to ask them about whether, if it’s deemed to be a success, the Georgetown program might apply to other parts of the city — particularly parking-challenged Adams Morgan. Are there any other neighborhoods you wish had a driveway-parking option? Or do you think the whole thing is a dumb idea to begin with? We’ll update when we hear more.

Photo by easement