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It goes to reinforce the notion that parking is indeed a commodity: a physical good that can be exchange for cash as a service. It only makes sense that the highest costs for parking are in areas that have the highest demand for parking.
Most people don't realize that there's no such thing as free parking; it is either paid for directly by the consumer or subsidized indirectly, i.e. shop at my store to park for "free."
When I first traveled to Manhattan in the '80's, I'd rented a car and parked it at the Marriott Marquis, where I was staying. The next day I was checking my "billing status" on the television and it had a charge of $100 for parking. I called the desk and asked if that was the weekly rate. He kindly said, no sir, that's the daily charge. Needless to say, the car went back to Hertz the next morning. Never rented a car again when staying in Manhattan.
Coming from the East Coast, I grew to expect parking to be very expensive in the city center - that's just the way things were and it's the price you pay to bring your vehicle downtown. I expected more of the same when I moved to San Francisco and sure enough, that was the case. However, I've noticed that many native Californians love to complain about how expensive parking is in San Francisco. Many cannot comprehend why parking is so expensive, or in some cases, why they should have to pay for it at all.
I've always attributed this to the fact that San Francisco really does stand alone in the state of California in terms of not offering an abundance of free/cheap parking. In Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, there are public garages where you can park for two hours free; in Downtown LA's fashion district, all day parking is only $5; parking in downtown Santa Barbara, San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, and Santa Cruz is abundant and cheap/free. Expensive parking is the exception, not the norm in this state. Whereas in the east, the opposite is true.
Personally, I'll gladly leave my vehicle at home and take public transit to visit a vibrant, exciting, and pedestrian-oriented city with human-scaled neighborhoods that blend seamless together, than park my vehicle for free in what is perhaps an island of pedestrian activity surrounded by parking lots and autopia.
It is funny how it's all relative. I remember growing up in Iowa City the parking ramps downtown raised their rates from 50 cents an hour to 60 cents an hour. It's now 75 cents an hour to park in a ramp or use a meter - and the businesses were all freaking out that it would drive away all their customers because people wouldn't pay insane rates just to park their car. Some of the ramps on the edges of downtown are only 60 cents an hour. Coming from Chicago I think it's cute sometimes when I go down for a few hours and my bill is $1.20 to park my parents car while shopping.
At my building on the edge of the Loop in Chicago:
$18 for first 30 minutes
$23 for an hour
$29 for 24 hours
$340 for one month
Given that virtually NO ONE who works in the Loop drives down and parks every day, the high rates are normally only attracting senior management at places where the company will cover their costs of parking. Not many people are going to sit through traffic that takes longer than the train, and then shell out $340 a month in parking on top of that.
It is funny how it's all relative. I remember growing up in Iowa City the parking ramps downtown raised their rates from 50 cents an hour to 60 cents an hour. It's now 75 cents an hour to park in a ramp or use a meter - and the businesses were all freaking out that it would drive away all their customers because people wouldn't pay insane rates just to park their car. Some of the ramps on the edges of downtown are only 60 cents an hour. Coming from Chicago I think it's cute sometimes when I go down for a few hours and my bill is $1.20 to park my parents car while shopping.
At my building on the edge of the Loop in Chicago:
$18 for first 30 minutes
$23 for an hour
$29 for 24 hours
$340 for one month
Given that virtually NO ONE who works in the Loop drives down and parks every day, the high rates are normally only attracting senior management at places where the company will cover their costs of parking. Not many people are going to sit through traffic that takes longer than the train, and then shell out $340 a month in parking on top of that.
18 dollars for the first 30 minutes? holy........ wow.
here in Indianapolis i can park for a full day at 15$
And even with the insane prices during Super Bowl 46 people were parking and there will still spots opened.
There are places near the loop that only charge 13 bucks a day.
and the lot is attended.
I have never ever gone to this place and seen the lot full so most people must park at the over priced area like millenium.
It's outside and you may walk a few blocks more but who cares.
You just need to know where to park vs. the ripoff places.
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