WALNUT CREEK — A plan to extend parking meter enforcement hours in downtown Walnut Creek received approval from the Transportation Commission on Thursday night.

Commissioners decided to recommend to the City Council that almost 600 meters in the downtown operate from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Metered parking currently is free after 6 p.m. and all day Sunday.

A similar proposal was struck down a month ago, but Thursday commissioners agreed to recommend the extended hours to the council with suggestions including that the Broadway parking garage be free on Sundays.

The move to extend pay hours stems from a 2006 downtown parking study. The idea is to drive downtown visitors — and people who work downtown and take up on-street customer parking — into the city's parking garages.

The same study suggested raising downtown meter rates from 50 cents to $1 an hour, which was done last year. The extended meter hours could generate $312,000 per year, though added enforcement would cost $75,000 a year. Commissioners said the reason for the extended hours is not to generate revenue for the city.

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