Colin McEnroe Show: Should We Pay To Park?
Could tighter regulation of parking clean up the streets and the environement?
When people talk about why the DON'T go to Hartford, they mention, with a neurotic and almost fetishistic consistency, the issue of parking.
I've been having these conversations for about 20 years now, and they don't change very much.
People say there's no place to park. Or that they don't know where to park.
Well, there is parking in Hartford. And it's not that hard to find.
So what do they mean? I think they mean they're not used to having to pay for parking, and they're only used to parking somewhere that's right next to their destination.
It has been said that the road system that created suburban sprawl looks like the goal was to make cars happy, not human beings. Usually, when we say that, we're talking about roads, not parking.
But people are so used to free parking, they don't notice how it changes their lives. And it's not really free.
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Free Parking = More Business
Sorry, but I have to greatly disagree with your caller yesterday. I have been telling people for years that the parking situation in Hartford is ridiculous because it costs too much. As a father of a middle class family I have no problem paying $5 to pay for parking at the cheap lot once a year to take my kids to the circus. But recently when I was investigating a family membership for the new Science Center I read that parking is an affordable $8-$14 for 3-5 hours or $20 for the full day. Those prices may not seem like much but they do weigh on the psychology of the purchase, especially on a purchase that would bring us back to the city 6-10X per year. We opted instead to renew our family membership at Mystic Aquarium. Sure it costs a little more, and yes the drive is a little further for us so we're paying more for gas, but we know it's not going to cost us $14 just to leave our car there. We'd rather spend that $14 (and plenty more) in the gift shop or on lunch at a local clam shack at the shore. The same is true on the business end. My company has around 25 employees and was seriously considering a move to the city a few years ago. However, at the cost of over $1,000 per person per year it was an added financial burden for our owner so we stayed put. Hartford may get big bucks from the parking garage owners but the city is losing us suburbanites who will actually spend money in town and do business in town. I have no problem paying a few bucks, but the current costs are too high. Hartford is not New York or Boston. Hell, it's not even Providence. And just like the cover charge at a bar or nightclub, if the price is too high for the expected benefit, people go elsewhere.
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