Consistency is important…Check out the parking issues in Fresno (CA). They charge for parking up to 6 PM, free parking after that hallow hour, except where there is an event (concert, game, etc) then the parking charges remain in effect until 10 PM. For some unknown reason this is confusing to the parking public and many resent the fact that last night they parked for free and tonight they got a citation.
To make matters worse, The council has been quoted as saying that removing the charges (in other words make the parking consistent) would cost $40K and that money was needed to pay for the local stadium, or whatever.
So, parking charges are necessary to pay for a government service. Confirmation — we knew it all along. Parking charges are simply a tax in disguise.
What if? What if the council had said — "Look, parking here in downtown Fresno, raisin capital of the universe, is a needed resource. We need parking so people can shop, attend events and the like. We also want to make the streets and sidewalks better and safer. So we are going to promote that resource and protect it by charging for parking and using the money to do so. We’ll be consistent, parking charges will be in effect at all times, but they may vary, depending on the time of day, day of week or location. The new meters we are installing will take all this into consideration and when a parker approaches a meter, they will be told how much they have to pay. Parking in Fresno is a resource just like the parks and other recreation areas. We charge for their uses, and we charge for parking. The parking managers who patrol the parking areas help you with direction, security, and ensuring that all follow the rules."
Fiction — wonderful isn’t it.
JVH
2 Responses
For whatever reason people seem to think of parking as a right, but they all agree that driving is a “priviledge”. Reality is that parking is nothing more than one component of driving. If you want to drive you have to first take a test and then get a license, then you have to pay for a car and pay taxes on that purchase, you then have to pay a registration tax every year to make your car legal on the road, next you have to buy insurance, then you buy gas and pay taxes on that gas to help cover the public costs of driving. You pay fees on tires, oil and battery recycling, and so on and so forth. The idea that you wouldn’t also be required to pay for the public costs associated with parking that vehicle on public property is absurd. When you park a car in a space on the street you are essentially denying anybody else the priviledge of using that space, why shouldn’t you have to pay for that? You’re paying for the “priviledge” of exclusivity.
Single-space meters can also charge different rates at different times of day and special event dates/times.