LAist: Wait, Hold On. Free Parking for Hybrids May Now Be Cut

WagonMonster

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:02:25 -0800

NO, wiping away incentives means that Hybrid Drivers can get off their high horse and realize they still drive a Fossil Fuel vehicle that pollutes, just like all cars. My car gets, probably 25mpg, but, I drive about 8k miles a year, while many Hybrid drivers drive over 20K a year, but think they're being "green" when, in reality, I actually burn less fuel than they do.

Jeremy Oberstein

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:01:48 -0800

Word, Lindsay. By most standards of the definition, I do not consider myself wealthy at all, but budgeted enough to make payments every month for a car that carries with it certain benefits. Yes to more carpooling, yes to more parking structures and yes to less driving. But wiping away incentives, even small ones like this, send a message that City Hall isn't as eco-friendly as they could be. It's not just about the money they might save from more meter coins, but the message that the city encourages hybrid driving. Hybrids are not the answer, but are one piece of the puzzle.

Lindsay William-Ross

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:45:01 -0800

Not all people who drive hybrids are wealthy. That's a logical fallacy. If you can make a car payment, you can drive a hybrid. I wish they were more affordable so that more people could have the option, and I suspect some day they will be. Yes, there is a one-time tax break for purchasing the car--it's not a massive one, though. Not all hybrids automatically get to drive in the carpool lane, either. It was a limited program that required owners to pay a small fee to get stickers for their qualifying car; not all hybrids qualify. Carpooling is a wonderful option, and should be done more frequently by more people, and businesses and institutions should provide incentives for doing so, but all that doesn't eliminate our massive traffic problems or overburdened infrastructures pertaining to transit, both public and automotive. I agree that there's more to be done on all levels by people to make the world less congested and to cause less damage to the earth. I'm not as upset about this decision being overturned even though it affects me because I didn't actually know about it until last week and have been dutifully feeding the meter for the past two years apparently unecessarily. Meh, whatever. It was a nice idea. I am pretty happy when I fill up my ten gallon tank every couple of weeks and get an average of 45 mpg, and when I can leave the car at home and walk or take transit or share a ride. We do what we can.

WagonMonster

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:55:12 -0800

Exactly. The key is not driving a Hybrid, it's driving LESS.

Zach Behrens

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:47:40 -0800

I'm with Donald Shoup on this one, raise fees on all the parking meters, get people to stop driving around the block over and over again, adding to traffic. Let's pilot that idea.

westsideforlife

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:46:53 -0800

not to mention that hybrids cost far more money than I can afford to pay for a car. Do we really want to give tax breaks and incentives to the wealthy for being able to afford a hybrid? How about free parking for a total carbon footprint tax credit? I drive an SUV, but also don't have air conditioning and live in a 500 square foot apartment with my wife, not a 2,500 square foot McMansion in Santa Monica that is always a comfortable 72 degrees in the summer.

WagonMonster

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:43:58 -0800

I'm all for getting rid of ALL perks for Hybrid Drivers, especially the carpool lane one. I don't care if you drive a Hybrid, if you really cared about the environment, you'd carpool. Hybrids are a scam.

grendel20

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:22:20 -0800

Hybrids already get to drive in the carpool and get excellent gas mileage. I believe there was also a tax break a few years ago as well...... how much can we incentivize the issue?