Public Transit Committee to talk a little about Parking

Finally, at least a little talk about parking subsidy

The City's Public Transit Committee meets tonight, Tuesday the 12th, and they'll at least touch on the problem posed by our parking subsidies and the way this incentive for drive-alone trips erodes interest in transit.

The vast surface area with subsidized car parking:
Downtown Surface Parking Lots in Red
Parking Garages in Solid Brick Red
On-street parking stalls not included
(click to enlarge)

The conversation looks to be a little limited, however, and hopefully committee members will want to expand its scope to talk about the total system of parking subsidy we have: Required minimums for all development, a municipal commitment to "free" downtown parking, and the general cultural expectation of free parking all the time for everyone.

Fiddling with a City bus pass program is small change on the edges compared with the structural changes that are possible in our development code and in a greater policy for smart parking.

The Committee meets tonight, Tuesday the 12th, at 6pm in Public Works on the third floor of City Hall.