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?
Thegadfly's Journal
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02/28/2006 10:16 #36123
To Park, Or Not To Park...Category: elmwood
so i have a question. i have not been home (living in buffalo) for 5 years now. the meters are not free on the weekends? i know here on long island, most places that i have been the meters are free from 6-until ? during the week, and on the weekends there is no charge. oh except for Rockville Centre. another comment is i cant believe, well actually i can, that you only have a week to pay your fine and then get slapped with a 25 buck penalty. wow i would have been in some serious debt when i was on richmond.
Maybe I'm naïve, but I don't blame the cops for this parking situation. If it were really the police behind this, it would be as easy to get a traffic ticket in Buffalo as it is to get a parking ticket [cf: Kenmore]. As it is, a lawyer buddy of mine has informed me that in order to get a traffic ticket in Buffalo you have to be speeding the wrong way down the sidewalk of a one-way street, backwards, while on fire and discharging an automatic weapon in the air and cursing out the cops - and then, only if you're black, and only then will you get a 'failure to obey traffic sign.'
Instead I blame 'someone' in the city government who said dang, we need some money, and decided hey, let's start skewering people with parking tickets. Give 'em less than a week to send us their fifty bucks before we slap another $25 late fee on it.
I got a parking ticket last summer, which I payed within three days with their 'convenient' mail-in envelope. They sat on it for two weeks before letting me know, by mail, that my credit card was declined, and [and I quote] 'unfortunately' since your payment is now two weeks late we will have to charge you the late fee. [I paid the ticket but fought the late fee and won.] Frankly, I don't even think the department of parking enforcement has the capacity to process all these tickets as quickly as they are expected to.
- Z
$16.50 per half hour is about average in the higher rent districts of NYC. You were in the financial district where people get million dollar bonuses as a rule rather than the exception. Plus about 99% of the people expense that stuff so what do they care? Ahh NYC gotta love it.
There could be more to this "crisis" than meets the eye.
One is the explanation you've read, that the cops want a raise.
The other (overlooked) possibility is that there are certain developers who want to raze buildings and put up parking lots. The city giving out lots of tickets only makes their case easier...
Not a bad idea, but in certain areas of the city it still won't solve the problem. In my area there just simply isn't enough parking, and without access to the parking lot during the winter months there are times where there are simply no places to park within a few block radius. Its an incredible hassle. I've already paid $550 in tickets this winter.
On Sunday I stopped off at the Steak-Out on Elmwood and Allen for lunch. I had to park halfway down Elmwood. A police officer, on the other hand, had been able to park her car _around_ the corner, in the intersection, directly in front of a fire hydrant. V. classy.
I suppose it's reassuring that, in these troubled times, at least our esteemed public servants can find a decent parking spot.
- Z