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A reader writes in about their experience with the newly raised parking meter fees across the city. At a minimum across Los Angeles, meters are prorated at $1 per hour (that means, if you put a quarter in, you get 15 minutes). Here's the LAist tipster's experience with these:
I recalled an article of yours from last summer when I found last week that the meters in the parking lot I use for work in Highland Park had been raised. (Lot #635, Ave 56 near N. Figueroa.)Our meters here operated from the odd hours of 4AM-2PM at 25ยข/hr, $1/10 hrs. Not a bad deal. They're now $1/hour, $4/10 hours with operating hours 8AM-9PM. This represents at least a 400% increase, but because of the increased hours it's even more. (Also pretty annoying when you leave the job after an 11 hour workday and get
greeted with a ticket.)I can afford this but can my staff and staffs of neighborhood businesses? The lot has been nearly empty in the past week & a half while the residential side-streets a block away from N. Figueroa are now packed.
What's funny is that one of the main theories behind raising parking meter fees is to get people to stop clogging traffic by searching for free street side parking.
Any one else notice this happening around the city?
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Yes, Hollywood has recently raised the meters from $1/hr to $2/hr.
spam33, what effect, if any, has it had?
I've noticed the meters along Las Palmas, Cherokee, and Wilcox are practically empty during the day. Can't say if it's effecting the side streets...that area of Hollywood is ALWAYS full, no matter what time of day.
maybe you will all ride the bus more often.
and the highland park rates probably went up to make more money of the gold line riders who clogged the lot when gas prices went up. they can also afford to pay more. let's stop subsidizing car riders. hike parking meters and make transit more frequent, reliable and free!
Transit!
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Red Line Party Train, CHOO CHOO!!
Regarding parking theory though, rate changes have to be done in a manner that reflects market rate, and if you have free parking on neighboring side streets it will not work. That distorts the market.
If you make gas taxes higher on a gas station 2 blocks down from one with free gas, then who the hell wants to go to the one that costs money. Then of course the free gas will run out quickly just like parking spaces on the side streets that will fill. True parking reform needs to be looked at on a larger and more comprehensive scale, and pricing should be raised incrementally to try and maintain about 85% spaces filled according to urban planner and parking expert Donald Shoup.
LA hates to do things in a comprehensive manner unfortunately. Much better to half assed do part of the theory and then say, hey look this half of a theory isn't working.
Basically what Donald Shoup's parking theories mean. is that only those with money will be able to park their cars. I'm sure everyone has seen the ourtrageous prices that people are willing to pay for parking if it's within their means (USC game-$60!!!), so you will be opening public street parking to the free-market. I don't even own a car, but that seems a bit unfair to me.
Then again, it seems like everyone has been avoiding the more expensive meters at all costs so...maybe the market won't support it?
As long as we continue to subsidize driving convenience by under pricing parking where it is in demand, we will never get the kind of alternative transit ridership that we need. It's an unfair playing field when driving subsidization dwarfs transit subsidies many times over. Right now most street parking is far less then near by parking garages and lots. This results in as much as 20% of traffic at peak times in downtown being drivers cruising for an available space.
I think there should be a cap on the high end so it stays within reason. Also in a true Shoup style system you wouldn't have people not parking at the expensive spot, because pricing would be a sliding scale relative to demand. If it's priced so high no one comes, then that isn't market value, it's above market value. Making the system work requires finding the sweet spot. This system as it is currently implemented will fail because like I said it's half assed, it doesn't follow the theory, it just pays a token glance to it.
^^^I mean, I understand what you're saying on one hand, and I would really love to encourage people to ditch their cars as well.
I think where it becomes problematic is if that is really the objective, it's probably not going to work with people who are more well off and don't have a problem with paying 5 bucks or whatever to park. The hardest demographic to sell on public transit is people who are financially comfortable, but that is exactly what the future of the city is depending on, what with all the transit villages, etc. I'm just not sure this strategy is the solution to that problem.
I believe people in residential areas can sign a petition or something like it to get permit parking in their neighborhood, which is probably what will happen now that metered parking's forcing people in to residential streets.
Then, hopefully, Shoup's recommendations will play out the way they're supposed to, with cars going into lots instead of circling meters or clogging up residential parking.
Let's take some of the revenue and create safe, metered motorcycle/scooter parking in high traffic commercial areas. A real alternative to reduce transportation mass.
Please feel free to use some of the space from the useless and frustrating 'mini red zones' in between automobile parking spaces.