Princeton, NJ, has raised its parking rates, or at least extended the times when parking fees are charged, plus added Sunday to the parking charges. The merchants are up in arms and I think rightly so. Here is the reason for the increase:
On April 7, Borough Council voted to expand metered hours for downtown parking from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and on Sunday replace free street parking and 25-cent-per-hour garage parking with regular daily rates. The changes were considered in order to raise revenue for the borough as it attempts to produce a fiscal year 2009 budget that will not increase property taxes Emphasis mine.
So, the rates aren’t being raised to ensure that there are more spaces available for parking, nor is the increase based on any market based study to help the parking program, they are based on the NEED of the local government maw to be fed. This isn’t a parking fee, it’s a tax, pure and simple.
The local city pops and moms frankly missed PR 101. I wonder what would have happened if they had told the merchants this:
We are studying the parking situation in the central business district. We know there is not enough parking and want to make it more convenient for your customers. We are going to set parking rates so there is one free space always available on each block face making it easy and convenient for your customers. The fees will vary from day and time based on the traffic in the area.
The money generated will be used to beautify the downtown area, pay for new sidewalks, underground utilities, parks in the area, and help fund a downtown merchants association which will work for the enhancement of all business activities downtown.
Do you think the merchants might jump on board to this type of an approach? I do.
The one the city took simply told the merchants that they were chopped liver and had to get in line and bend over so the city could extract its pound of flesh from each of them AND their customers.
Bad Princeton – you did everything exactly wrong. Don Shoup – call your office
JVH
