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chirack, that just plain isn't true: metered parking is not the only method of parking in cities. Garages charge hourly rates without a maximum (or a set maximum after a number of hours) so you can spend as much time as you like shopping, in return for paying rent for your car. And many cities have days and hours that are not metered: evenings and Sundays in many places, for example.
The parking lot at the suburban shopping mall is not free, it is paid for by the mall owner, and when you casually browse and have a nice meal in the food court you are paying for parking. At best, it's a lower rate because the land where the suburban mall is located was cheaper than premium downtown land.
chirack, that just plain isn't true: metered parking is not the only method of parking in cities. Garages charge hourly rates without a maximum (or a set maximum after a number of hours) so you can spend as much time as you like shopping, in return for paying rent for your car. And many cities have days and hours that are not metered: evenings and Sundays in many places, for example.
The parking lot at the suburban shopping mall is not free, it is paid for by the mall owner, and when you casually browse and have a nice meal in the food court you are paying for parking. At best, it's a lower rate because the land where the suburban mall is located was cheaper than premium downtown land.
Most garages charge some outrageous rate for the first few hours; it's only a flat rate after about 4 hours. If the stores are open on Sundays, they charge on Sundays, at least in my neck of the woods. If the stores are open evenings, ditto. The point at the mall is you don't pay separately.
The parking lot at the suburban shopping mall is not free, it is paid for by the mall owner, and when you casually browse and have a nice meal in the food court you are paying for parking. At best, it's a lower rate because the land where the suburban mall is located was cheaper than premium downtown land.
That along with lower taxes and lower sales taxes and being enclosed hurt down towns everywhere.
Most garages charge some outrageous rate for the first few hours; it's only a flat rate after about 4 hours. If the stores are open on Sundays, they charge on Sundays, at least in my neck of the woods. If the stores are open evenings, ditto. The point at the mall is you don't pay separately.
We have a "mall" where you ee to pay for parking. It is always packed. Weekends suck, parking is a pain in the evenings, particularly when a populr movie is out. It is pretty elastic I think.
Most garages charge some outrageous rate for the first few hours; it's only a flat rate after about 4 hours. If the stores are open on Sundays, they charge on Sundays, at least in my neck of the woods. If the stores are open evenings, ditto. The point at the mall is you don't pay separately.
Portland regulates the parking garage prices so they can't charge much more than street parking, and more often than not it will cost about the same as parking on the street would be without having to worry about a time limit or feeding the meter.
Portland regulates the parking garage prices so they can't charge much more than street parking, and more often than not it will cost about the same as parking on the street would be without having to worry about a time limit or feeding the meter.
No. Portland turns a nice profit on the garages. They use it to pay for transit, but anyway. Urbanlife is wrong. Downtown metered parking is $1.60/hour, garages are at least double that.
No. Portland turns a nice profit on the garages. They use it to pay for transit, but anyway. Urbanlife is wrong. Downtown metered parking is $1.60/hour, garages are at least double that.
Smartpark is on par with street parking, there are some private garages that are more, but even at double $1.60, that is still cheap compared to most cities.
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