Parking Meter Rate Increases (Pittsburgh, Oakland: subsidized, pricing, shopping center)

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Enough_Already

That is not what this is about.

Well, optimal pricing policy should be what this is about. And it turns out the revenue-maximizing policy is very close to the optimal pricing policy.

[steel7]

It looks like the city council are idiots. They dont want the state to take control of the city workers pensions so they increase the parking meter rates. Public workers take care of their own & believe they are entitled. Its like that coast to coast.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

That's why certain businesses aren't as well suited for Downtown. An Applebees won't do too well downtown unless they can garner a huge lunch crowd, likewise some department stores can't compete with the suburbs, which we saw with the Lord and Taylor that opened and closed withing a few years. I'm surprised that Macy's does well enough to stay in business, it must be pretty busy during the day.

On the other hand, things like theaters and high end restaurants do better in prestigioius, historic, and centrally located areas. It's easy for a strip mall to succeed in the suburbs, but it would be quite surprising to see something like the cultural district survive as a planned development in a suburb.

Your argument about how parking expenses can add up is true, but people often ignore how gas prices can add up, too.

All in all, the reality of it is that as long as people are using the spots downtown, they are likely injecting money into the economy. Whether it's your $100 at a restaurant, or someone elses at a play doesn't matter to me. If parking gets priced to the point that the spots aren't getting used, then it makes sense to lower the rates or make it free.

Nice post, and a few very good points.

[Lobick]

Originally Posted by Enough_Already

That is not what this is about. This situation is about how the politicians mismanaged the finances of the city and is now looking for a way out of the mess it created. Pittsburgh parking rates are outrageous by any standard. This situation will hurt businesses, workers, and other people who will spend money in other communities causing an economic loss to the city.

Just declaring that parking rates are "outrageous" doesn't make them so. Feel free not to pay it, many people choose the opposite judging by the difficulty finding parking downtown.

We'll see if usage rates change. I don't think this will have a noticeable effect on parking availability, but we'll see. If no meaningful change is observed, failure to raise the price on meters would amount an abandonment of market economics by the city and having city tax payers continuing to subsidize parking.

[Little Mizz Pittsburgh]

They switched over the meters, to the new rates, where I work in Oakland, and no one is parking there anymore. Well, I should say "very few people" are now choosing to park at those meters. The street, those meters are on, used to stay packed with vehicles. It used to be 50 cents an hour. Now its $1.50 an hour. I park, on a 'free' road, in Schenley Park, got there at 8 a.m. this morning, and had to park VERY far back, from where I normally park, when I used to get there at 8 a.m. I guess those folks, who are no longer using the meters, are now taking over the spots where the people who choose to park FREE, park.

[fleetiebelle]

I park, on a 'free' road, in Schenley Park, got there at 8 a.m. this morning, and had to park VERY far back, from where I normally park, when I used to get there at 8 a.m. I guess those folks, who are no longer using the meters, are now taking over the spots where the people who choose to park FREE, park.

A bunch of my coworkers park in Schenley, too, either on Circuit Rd or back by the golf course on Darlington (?). They were saying the same thing, that usually if they got to work by 7:30-8 there was plenty of parking even during the school year. Now they're kind of freaking out and wondering if they're going to have to spring for a parking pass. I think the meters are at least $1.50/hr now, and you used to be able to park all day for $3 or $4.

[scrapp]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

A bunch of my coworkers park in Schenley, too, either on Circuit Rd or back by the golf course on Darlington (?). They were saying the same thing, that usually if they got to work by 7:30-8 there was plenty of parking even during the school year. Now they're kind of freaking out and wondering if they're going to have to spring for a parking pass. I think the meters are at least $1.50/hr now, and you used to be able to park all day for $3 or $4.

I wonder if this will increase the number of folks driving in, parking in residential areas (just outside the permit K area), and then using their bus passes to get the rest of the way (e.g. to oakland campuses)?

[squarian]

Originally Posted by squarian

Schenley Dr between Phipps and Tech St behind CMU - I counted four cars at noon, in a stretch of road with space for at least a hundred.

Just an update - at 11:50 today, on the same stretch, the only thing parked was a Parking Authority van - not one single private car.

[Lobick]

Originally Posted by Little Mizz Pittsburgh

They switched over the meters, to the new rates, where I work in Oakland, and no one is parking there anymore. Well, I should say "very few people" are now choosing to park at those meters. The street, those meters are on, used to stay packed with vehicles. It used to be 50 cents an hour. Now its $1.50 an hour. I park, on a 'free' road, in Schenley Park, got there at 8 a.m. this morning, and had to park VERY far back, from where I normally park, when I used to get there at 8 a.m. I guess those folks, who are no longer using the meters, are now taking over the spots where the people who choose to park FREE, park.

Commuters not using meters is probably a good outcome. Remember, at 3x the cost they only need 1/3 the number of cars to park there to break even. I would also suggest that since it's the Summer, we need to wait until classes are back in order to really evaluate usage in Oakland.

[BrianTH]

Obviously we should give it some time, but if usage is permanently low, they should likely consider a price decrease.