Seattle Downtown "tolling plan"

[CrazyDonkey]

A smarter approach would be to require monthly/daily "Good-to-Park" passes to use street parking 7am-7pm on weekdays within high-density/traffic zones: "red" (Downtown, Belltown, LQA, lower Capitol Hill, Eastlake, U District, etc.) and "orange" (upper Capitol Hill, Upper Queen Anne, central Ballard, lower Fremont, 45th Street Corridor, Roosevelt, Phinney Ridge/Greenwood, Northgate, Lake City, the Junction, Columbia City, etc.). Commercial parking could be additionally taxed on a per hour basis and private parking on a per month basis.

You could still drive Downtown, park in a private garage or lot, and shop or do other business without the need for a pass, for instance. You could also pick somebody up or drop somebody off. You could drive through a red/orange zone. You could also park outside of a red/orange or neighborhood zone and walk, bike, or take transit to your destination.

With a "red" pass, you could park in both "red" and "orange" zones; with an "orange" pass, just in "orange" zones. Parking meters/kiosks could also sell a one-day pass (to tourists, out-of-towners, etc.).

[treuphax]

If they place the toll at city limits, then Seattle residents will be "encouraged" to shop at local merchants within the city and any current and future local taxes on consumers, such as the sugary beverage tax will have more bite because if it costs $8 or $16 bucks round trip to drive to the suburbs, the Seattle City toll will effectively create a captive market unlikely to leave the city in order to dodge the local taxes.

Exciting if Seattle inherits the legacy of the Berlin Wall by locking up its citizenry.



Pictured: Future Border Checkpoint + No Man's Land, between White Center / Seattle (2019)