The gang over on PT’s Facebook page has been discussing Galveston for a while, and we have an article in the June PT about the new meters in the Texas city. Reader David points out that by an over whelming majority, the local citizenry voted to hit parkers up to $8 a day to park near the sea wall.
Of course it’s a good idea. People should pay for parking. However it’s not a mystery why this election passed with almost 62% of the vote. It basically collects money from out of towners. If someone comes regularly to the seawall they can purchase an annual permit for, get this, $25.
Not bad if you can get it. Soak the visitors and let the locals park basically for free. Not horribly consistent, and certainly won’t lead to good parking asset management. However they are returning the parking fees to the local area with the money going for restrooms, lighting, showers, and other amenities. I hope they get some great big plaques slapped on the amenities, telling the world where the money came from.
JVH
