CALL TO ACTION: California Exemption Metered Parking (Yes, it can be free!)

Sounds like a terrible idea. On what basis should people with certain cars be allowed to park for free? Electric vehicles already shirk road taxes.

If EVs are going to make it in the real world (and they will), they have to do it on their own.

End counterproductive government subsidies.

 

I agree that EVs should make it on their own. However...

ICE cars already get a number of benefits that are difficult to "take away." For example, polluting the air (substantially more than EVs...and they do it in dense cities, like LA). It is a bit difficult to get most people's attention long enough to get them to consider EVs. It is a good idea to provide some positive benefits (instead of just focusing on the negatives of ICE cars) in order to get people motivated.

And I would applaud the idea of dense cities providing free parking, free charging, etc for EVs to help reduce smog in cities. It is a much cheaper solution than other solutions, IMO.

Mike

 

Thanks for asking...

It was decided by various cities that charging a fee to park would address 2 problems:

1. Parking congestion
2. Infrastructure funding

Installing meters and enforcing the parking fee is the most fair way to generate revenue and reduce congestion since only those that benefit from using the parking spaces are required to pay the fee.

As much as I dislike so-called progressive taxation and the like, I absolutely abhor regressive taxation. Why should those most unable to afford the arbitrarily chosen vehicles also not enjoy the benefits of free parking, just as the privileged few enjoy?

If it's not demeaning enough that poor people see the wealthy driving expensive cars, seeing smug drivers parking for free would further the divide between the socioeconomic statuses.

We might as well give free electric cars to any household grossing over $150k, or impose a "high-five for clunkers" program on the poor to achieve the noble cause of "saving the world". Of course, this is all ridiculous, as well as free parking for the privileged.

Saving money at the pump is its own reward; no further incentive is necessary (or acceptable).

 

Thumbs down. It's chauvinism, expensive (hell: impossible) to enforce, contentious.

(I'm from out of town, though.)

 

Well, you should also complain about "neighborhood permits" that exclusively reserve local street parking for residents with stickers. Talk about a rip off of the public. On the other hand, if on-street parking is so overcommitted that local residents can't find a spot...

Guess I'm trying to say there's a balance. If the government has an interest to discourage use of dino juice and gives things (rebates, tax credits, HOV access) to those whose vehicles don't generate smog or greenhouse gasses, what's the problem? Or are you against governments in general?

 

I grew up on the Westside (escaped many years to behind the Orange Curtain) and I'm shocked at the gridlock in L.A. when I go up to visit. What's more amazing is that the same (dumb) traffic signals, with no left turn arrows that I grew up when I started driving in 1970 are still the rule in the city.

But see my post above about "neighborhood permits." This is a scourge I don't understand, unless metered parking has run people off the main thoroughfares to park free in residential areas. Essentially this privatizes streets while socializing costs (road taxes).

 

In general, I'm against government interference with the free market. Sure, the gov't needs to enforce laws concerning theft and preserving the commons, but hybrid cars in a HOV lane has no demonstrated benefit to the general public.

How do I, John Q Public, benefit from a couple specific models of car being artificially sold in higher numbers? Or how do I, John Q Carpooler benefit from having more traffic in a lane normally reserved for higher occupancy?

I have a better plan. Allow anyone that wants to drive in the HOV lane to purchase the privilege. This way, people who drive enormous and inefficient cars have a way to benefit the public by paying extra to be in the HOV lane, and they benefit from more efficient travel, which saves fuel.

 

Welcome to Northern VA. we have High occupancy toll lanes. (lexus lanes)

so if you are HOV3+ you can flip a switch on your smarttag and travel for free if you have a switchable smart tag (they cost extra)

Or, you can drive you normal car with No extra people, and just pay the tolls..

Or you can have a switchable smart tag, drive by yourself, and still flip the switch so you don' thave to pay for the tolls...

in DC in residential zones, you are issues a parking pass which allows free parking 24-7. If you do not live in th at zone, you can park free for 2 hours...

if there are meters, its confusing.

the whole point of HOV is to reduce congestion. letting low emission vehicles drive in the hov lane while single occupants or park for free will NOT reduce congestion... its just going to promote people buying that type of car and riding by themsleves.

 

It's called breathing. It's part of something called "promot[ing] the Public welfare." It's on some piece of paper in D.C., I hear.

 

So, having fuel efficient cars that consume no energy when stopped, in the HOV lane promotes breathing? Keeping the large vehicles in gridlocked traffic also achieves this?

Regardless, I haven't heard of a single scientific report that suggests artificially increasing the sale of a particular model of vehicle will aid breathing. I'm driven to conclude that any policy that artificially increases the sale of certain models of vehicles is purely political.

 

Profitable too, if youre a company that owns the type of vehicle being sold...