The High Cost of Free Parking

[Anondson]

Study: We provide far too much parking around transit stations.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr- ... tudy-says/

[Anondson]

Fascinating article about parking meters in Excelsior.

http://sailor.mnsun.com/2017/03/30/exce ... king-only/

They want to move meters off one area where little revenue is being generated to another street getting heavy overflow of parking meter avoiders. It is a heavy residential street though where many residents either don't have off street parking now or have large families requiring some use of the street.

The city manager admitted the parking meters overall were generating more revenue than she expected.

Then this quote. “The parking meters would introduce blight and we’re trying to make the neighborhood look better and I don’t think that is going in the right direction..."

[twincitizen]

Not exactly related to the story, but Excelsior probably has the most parking meters in a metro city (outside of Mpls-StP), no? Stillwater has a bunch of pay lots, but I'm not sure how many on-street meters they have, if any. Excelsior has quite a few on-street parking meters, in addition to the pay lots and free lots that are further from the lake.

Do any other metro cities have parking meters? Hopkins? Anoka?

[Uptown46]

Excelsior even has parking meters for boats at their public dock!

[bubzki2]

Stillwater doesn't have a single parking meter (but I wish they did).

[Anondson]

A very thorough look at how free parking has costs and effects on cities.

http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/ ... /te/rfd/pe

I thought it worth a read. Also, the look at Amsterdam parking enforcement is enlightening.

[sdho]

Not exactly related to the story, but Excelsior probably has the most parking meters in a metro city (outside of Mpls-StP), no? Stillwater has a bunch of pay lots, but I'm not sure how many on-street meters they have, if any. Excelsior has quite a few on-street parking meters, in addition to the pay lots and free lots that are further from the lake.

Do any other metro cities have parking meters? Hopkins? Anoka?

Anoka has no meters, and free ramp parking. Hopkins charges for longer use of their public ramp/lots, but it's free for customers (1-3 hours).

When my parents moved to Northfield in the 70s, they had parking meters downtown on Division Street. However, the business community felt it put them at a competitive disadvantage compared to the highway retail, so they were eliminated.

[Anondson]

Cross posting this from the Hopkins thread.

https://www.creamandamber.com/blog/2018 ... arking-lot

A business trying to start on Mainstreet in Hopkins is just outside the designated “downtown” where off street parking isn’t required, so city code requires off street parking be built.