Comments on: DOT Asks Public for Ideas on Shoupian Parking Program

By: Max Rockatansky

Max Rockatansky — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:58:02 +0000

Bill is the perfect example of why this will be hard to sell, no offense. As I understand it, the idea is to price the spots high enough so that there is never a shortage of space. This will mean raising the prices to the level of parking garages, to dissuade people from driving in the first place. We’re not talking about prices going up by 25 cents, think more along the lines of $10-$15 dollars. There will be cries of elitism – if you think congestion pricing was a tough sell you ain’t seen nothing yet.

By: anon

anon — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:56:10 +0000

Bill – I don’t think you understand the basic concept of this. Please re-read.

By: Bill

Bill — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:38:33 +0000

I think this is a really poor excuse for generating more parking revenue. People are going to pay whatever the rate is at the meter. If it means paying $0.25 more, then so be it.
In my opinion, this will only cause great confusion, more tickets for people who don’t pay properly, and more accidents. More accidents? Let me explain:
My understanding of this technology is that people will be able to see on their cell phones/blackberry/etc. where there are free spots. Has anyone actually given this any thought? Do you want drivers looking at their phones/electronic devices to find parking spots, while driving?
G-d forbid, but after a few casualties and accidents, maybe the brains behind the city will realize that this is a bad idea.
And one more point. The environmentalists who thought this up are very short-sighted. In the event that people do pull over to look for spots, do you think they’ll switch off the car? Of course not! They’ll leave it idling. I can’t believe anyone thinks this is a good idea.

By: BicyclesOnly

BicyclesOnly — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:51:38 +0000

The most important thing is to convert spots from unmetered to metered. The shift from “free” to “not free” is much bigger than any tweaking of rates (though I agree with market pricing of all metered spaces as well).

By: da

da — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:37:26 +0000

Wait! Won’t this unfairly penalize low-income drivers? Soon the only people who will be able to afford to park will be the rich! And what about an Environmental Impact Statement?

;^)

By: Jeffrey Hymen

Jeffrey Hymen — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:53:42 +0000

I propose that we give this idea a try in all five Community Boards 2. (Okay, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island can opt out if they want to.)

By: Shemp

Shemp — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:51:03 +0000

Hopefully no one at the forum will use the term “Shoupian”