A decade ago I wrote about the ski resort Vail Colorado and its wonderful on street (and off street) parking operation. They use every type of system available to collect fees. You will find P and D, meters, Central Cashiering, in car meters, debit cards, and permits. The goal was to make it easy for the thousands of visitors they get each year.
Vail now has a problem. There is a huge construction boom going on in the Town and the construction workers are taking a lot of space. Plus, they are the victims of their success. There are a lot of people who park in the town to go skiing. Its just that simple.
Solve the problem, the JVH way — Just raise the prices on parking. Let the free market solve it. Well — that’s what they are trying but of course they are most likely not looking at the entire picture. You can’t put 20 pounds of stuff in a 5 pound bag. You do need alternatives for commuters and workers who staff the ski lifts, stores, and restaurants in this Tony community.
If you raise the prices for parking near the slopes to $25 a day, you most likely won’t scare away any skiers who are paying $150 to ski. However the question is, what are you doing with the money? Are you using it to provide relief for the rest of the community. Is it going into parking, transportation, van pools, and the like?
I have no clue, but I can guess…Politics being what they are.
JVH
