Parking

Have DC Councilmembers ever tried to park downtown on a Saturday?

by David Alpert   •   December 17, 2008 8:32 am

The Council passed Jim Graham's parking meter rate hike yesterday, raising $1/hour meters to $2 and 50¢ meters to 75¢, and restoring much-needed city housing programs. But to get enough political support from the Council, Graham and co-introducer Tommy Wells had to agree to an amendment from Jack Evans designating $1 million of the revenue raised to the O Street Market project in Shaw, and one from David Catania that retained our current, nonsensical policy of free street parking on weekends.

Are these people really here because of free parking? Photo by afagen on Flickr.

The parking increase will fund the HPAP program that helps low-income people afford a down payment, the Housing First program that moves homeless people from shelters to their own homes, and more. Councilmember Wells praised Graham's leadership on the issue as "very forward thinking," and Chairman Vincent Gray called the bill a "very proactive approach."

But Catania and outgoing member Carol Schwartz both spoke passionately about free Saturday parking as an incentive to draw suburban residents into DC to shop and eat, and to encourage DC residents to stay in the District on weekends to spend their dollars. It might be a compelling argument, except for one thing: there's never any available street parking downtown or in busy neighborhood retail districts on weekend afternoons and evenings.

Schwartz introduced and passed a ban on Saturday parking fees in 1997. "We get money when people come into DC to eat or shop, or DC residents stay to eat," she said. "I asked people, 'Why do you go to the suburbs?' They said, 'They've got free parking.'"

That might have been true in 1997, but not today. People go downtown because of the great restaurants, exciting nightlife, and walkable shopping streets. If you just want to drive to a big box store, the suburbs will win out every time. The nice restaurants downtown all run valet services. If free parking really deters so many people, why are these restaurants packed while the valets are charging $10 for parking during dinner?

And the free, on-street parking that does exist is constantly full. Making the parking free just swaps one suburban advantage, free parking, for another: available parking. As Tommy Wells explained, "How many people here believe they could get in the car right now and find a place to park down the street? ... That parking is all locked up. It does not serve small businesses" that benefit from turnover, not from free parking.

Yet Councilmember after Councilmember spoke up for this amendment keeping parking free on Saturdays, as if anyone really could find parking on Saturdays. Free parking is a "great incentive to bring people downtown," said Catania, "to visit shops and restaurants and our cultural life downtown." Marion Barry added, "we don't want to make it more difficult for people to shop downtown." I seriously started to wonder if any of these folks actually ever drive downtown on a Saturday. Perhaps their special Councilmember parking passes, which many use to park illegally, make them believe that anyone can easily park, with only $1-$2 an hour making the difference.

Phil Mendelson voted against the measure entirely. He argued that this measure is "piecemeal," but said that he "can support a comprehensive review of parking demand." Well, one day we will be discussing performance parking in more neighborhoods in DC. I hope Mendelson will support that program when it comes.

Muriel Bowser also voted against the bill, not because of the parking fees, but because of the earmarks, and particularly Evans' earmark for the O Street Market. "We're taking what should be transportation dollars and putting in human services, and now we're taking what should be transportation dollars and putting it into an economic development grant," she said. Bowser also praised free Saturday parking.

This measure will raise some valuable revenue for important housing projects. But it also revealed many of our Councilmembers' ignorance about the true dynamics of parking. It's not 1997 anymore, and downtown is booming. Keeping parking free only makes it harder for people to park downtown. Schwartz and Catania struck a blow against small businesses today, with the very act they claim will help.

David Alpert is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Greater Greater Washington. He has had a lifelong interest in great cities and great communities. He worked as a Product Manager for Google for six years and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He loves the area which is, in many ways, greater than those others, and wants to see it become even greater.