DC has a problem. People are double parking around churches. My God (Pun intended), this means folks are flocking to church. We have to do something about that.
Residents in the neighborhoods are up in arms because for those couple of hours on Sunday Morning parking and traffic is a mess.
This being DC, they are forming a committee to study the problem. I can save them the trouble.
Charge for parking in the neighborhoods. Install POFs all around, sell the residents a permit and charge all the rest of the folks a buck or two to park when they go to church. Then plow the money back into the neighborhoods for new lighting, streets, parks, and other services.
Everyone wins. There is room for the prayerful to park, a nicer neighborhood for the church, and residents are happy.
The church could set up a deal with a nearby office or supermarket and run a shuttle during services. Have the folks who park there drop an extra buck into the collection plate.
Or, dare I say it — local residents could let churchgoers park in their driveways for a couple of bucks. The kids could get up early on Sunday AM and wave em in. Put the extra money in their college fund, or to buy CD’s.
Of course there is a Law in DC (can you believe it) that unregulated parking is against the law.
Sigh.
J
2 Responses
Hmm. In a post several months ago about NYC revoking it’s Sunday meter parking I sensed doubt about how many people were going to church.
I live in NYC and I have a car and I do not drive to church. However, and I imagine I speak for those who do not go to church –the city that never sleeps actually really does sleep on Sunday mornings. NYC is beautiful on Sunday’s and it seems government has a role in helping make a hectic place seem more peaceful by not dizzying it’s residents with filling meters all day on Sunday’s too. It was a wise cancellation on Bloomberg’s part -parking – for Manhattan residents with cars – is a quality of life issue.
Heh — My comments are for consistency, not quality of life, however, I think that the quality of life in Manhattan could raise substantially if
1) Folks had to pay what it cost to provide on street parking in the city (IE, it should cost more than off street)
2) The MOney was put back into the neighborhood from with it came with urban renewal, clean streets, more cops, and garbage collection
3) The City got out of the parking requirements (this may be true already in NYC.
Just think — Huge parking facilities in Jersey for cars owned by Manhattan residents. Plenty of on street parking readily available. Half the traffic nonexistent.
It could happen, if onstreet parking cost $15 a day like off street…
JVH