Alternative Fuel Vehicles Get “Free” Parking?

Well, they are thinking about it in Estes Park, CO, which is somewhere near Boulder.

The proposal is to select a few spaces and reserve them for “alternative fuel” vehicles. There is some discussion that would allow drivers of these cars to park there all day long, while those driving Belchfire 12s will have normal parking times.

Will it never end?

OK, we allow high mileage vehicles to park all day for free, thus taking them off the road, but the low mileage SUV’s, of which there are many in this area, have to move on and spew their poison into the air.

Also, what is an alternative fuel vehicle? Is it a hybrid? There are Lexus hybrids that don’t get 30 MPG. What about pedal power? CNG, LNG, Body fat, Electric. I wonder whether the idea shouldn’t be based on MPG, not the type of fuel. There are gas powered vehicles that get 50 MPG. Why shouldn’t they qualify?

Of course, the officer on the beat will have to make the decision, OR they will have to check a list, that would be updated regularly. Of course whether or not a car is properly tuned would be important.

But then, this is a regressive policy. Only people with big bucks can afford the extra cost of a hybrid vehicle. So then upper class folks get a pass on their parking charges and the poor driving hand me down Chevy’s get screwed.

I say that if you are going to charge different prices for different vehicles, charge by square footage. A 1970 Cadillac or a 2008 Navigator should pay more than a Mini or a Sunbeam Alpine. Then the officer would have to carry a tape measure, and meters would have to have “Small, medium, large, and gigantic” buttons so the drivers could select the “proper” vehicle size.

Or, we could just charge everyone the same and get on with it.

JVH