Some pundit once said that nothing in life is certain except death, taxes, and parking meters. I'm not so sure about the first two, but given the current furor over parking enforcement, I'm certain about the third.

Despite all the griping, Buffalonians really are quite fortunate. It is not usually that difficult to find a parking space, especially if you are willing to pay at a meter, or use a parking ramp. The rates are not that bad either. I have had the misfortune to need a parking place in Manhattan, Washington, DC, and Oxford, England, and believe me, it was not a pleasant experience. My award for the highest rate goes to a small lot in lower Manhattan with a view of the Statue of Liberty: $16.50 per half-hour. If you visit our nation's capital and have hopes of finding a meter, better have a roll of quarters with you. Worst ever experience was in Oxford, England. I drove around and around for almost and hour-and-a-half and finally gave up and pulled into an underground parking garage. After being sandwiched in line that didn't move for 30 minutes, we discovered the garage was full. Try getting everyone behind you backup, so you could get out!

Back to Buffalo. The City has a hard enough time competing with the suburbs in attracting people and businesses without the added handicap of having to pay for parking. The current ticket blitz resulting from a police job action only exacerbates the situation, and further tarnishes the image of Buffalo.

Some people think that it would be a good move if there were free parking within the city limits. Of course, owners of parking lots and garages are bound to oppose this. It's how they make living, but let's say for the sake of argument, the City only did away with parking meters. How much net revenue would really be lost? On the plus side, there would be no further expenditure for installing meters, maintaining them, collecting the money, issuing tickets, and administering the system. The fleet of vehicles dedicated to parking enforcement and the attendant personnel could also be cut. Factor in also the positive benefits to commerce. On the minus side, there is the direct loss of revenue to the City coffers. I surmise that if an honest benefit/cost study of metered parking were to be done that took into account tangibles and intangibles, it would be a toss-up.

But let's get real. There is no way that a cash-strapped city is going to give up a revenue stream, so I have a test project in mind. In designated districts, for example the Elmwood Village (a.k.a. "The Elmwood Strip"), make parking at meters free from 5 p.m. Friday to midnight Sunday. A livable alternative might also be for groups of merchants to offset Buffalo's revenue loss by paying a fee for the free parking. In return, the merchants would get a bag to put over the meters with advertising on it, such as: parking provided by Forever Elmwood, or Pano's Restaurant.

What say you, fellow citizens?