May 21, 2007
Potential High Fees for Georgetown Parking Spots
It looks like that pilot program to ease parking congestion in Georgetown by allowing residents to park in front of their own driveways is set to kick-off this summer, but rumors of exorbitant prices for the permits to do so have a few folks seeing red. One man told WJLA the WashTimes he's heard the annual fee for a driveway-blocking permit could be as high as $180 -- a big step up from the $15 annual fee for a residential parking permit.
The program's intention is to create extra parking spaces for residents in car-crowded Georgetown. Presumably two-car households in the neighborhood could opt to block in one of their vehicles by parking in front of their driveway, thus creating more available spaces on the street. As we noted before, the City Paper wondered aloud about whether drivers hunting for a spot would make traffic worse under the plan, when they stop to take what they think is a legal spot when a resident with such a permit is pulling out, only to discover it's that person's driveway.
We contacted DDOT to see if they could give us a ballpark figure for what the permit fee might be, but haven't heard back yet. We also hope to ask them about whether, if it's deemed to be a success, the Georgetown program might apply to other parts of the city -- particularly parking-challenged Adams Morgan. Are there any other neighborhoods you wish had a driveway-parking option? Or do you think the whole thing is a dumb idea to begin with? We'll update when we hear more.
Photo by easement
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I think there should be no fee for this permit, but if you accept it, then you give up your regular residential parking permit.
the dumb thing is the fact that you only have to pay $15 a year (which i pay) to park a car on the street. it should be much much more. parking spaces are a finite resource and the city should do more to encourage open spaces by using more market based pricing for street parking. you can't park in a garage for $15 a year, and you shouldn't be able to do the same on the street either.
Interesting idea in theory, but I don't see how it can work. Too many people who either don't pay attention or choose to ignore the current signs/rules & regulations of DC parking. How will it work when someone does mistakenly park in front of a resident's driveway, and then the resident needs to leave or get into their driveway? The city has trouble making sure there aren't any cars on certain sides of the street on major roads during the morning and evening rush hours--you think they are going to be able to mobilize a tow truck in time to let a resident in and out of their driveway?
As for Adams Morgan, the 2-hour zone rules need to be in effect later, need to be policed much more frequently, and the city needs to stop okaying multiple construction projects that close off multiple streets to parking all at the same time. You can drive for hours around Ontario/17th/Kalorama/Euclid right now and never find a spot that you, as a resident and zone sticker holder, can park in overnight.
WHAT!?!
How much SHOULD I pay to park in front of my own freaking house?
The same amount that i would pay to park in a garage?
Maybe if there were no street parking then people would take public transportation.
Thats something the city should encourage, not open parking spaces in Georgetown.
You live in Maryland, don't you?
First, bear in mind that the resident has no more claim to the space in front of his or her house than anybody else. It's (scarce) public land, and upkeep is via public money. They have no entitlement to leave their stuff there.
That said, I don't know if we've fully explored the humor possibilities. What if _everybody_ could apply for a driveway-blocking permit? Given the temperament of the average driver, we pedestrians could catch impromptu boxing matches, demolition derbies, and maybe even car fires. Entertainment _and_ license revenue---what more could we ask?
IMGoph is right. We need parking permits that are sensitive to the market. All parking in the city should be metered or by permit only. Areas with excess demand should be more expensive than areas with excess supply. Residents should have the right to buy permits for their own neighborhood and out-of-staters should have to pay dearly for the right to use our streets, since they don't pay income OR property taxes here. DC residents from other areas should pay something that's higher than locals, but not as much as out-of-staters.
For example, in the U Street area, Ward 1 residents should pay $200 or so per year for permits that allow 24-7 parking on the street. Out of staters should use garages, meters, or buy limited use permits that cost about $50 per week and are easy to buy and display. With DC plates you should get an hour of free parking or have a reduced fare at the meter. That way contractors can park legally but pay for the use. Nightclub, restaurant and out-of-state churchgoers can park for $10 a shot or whatever during the peak weekend periods, and local residents can actually unload groceries and small children on the same block as their house. And the citys more revenue for enforcement and maintenance.
First, bear in mind that the resident has no more claim to the space in front of his or her house than anybody else. It's (scarce) public land, and upkeep is via public money. They have no entitlement to leave their stuff there.
That said, I don't know if we've fully explored the humor possibilities. What if _everybody_ could apply for a driveway-blocking permit? Given the temperament of the average driver, we pedestrians could catch impromptu boxing matches, demolition derbies, and maybe even car fires. Entertainment _and_ license revenue---what more could we ask?
Blocking in your own driveway is better than trying to squeeze a second car into your driveway and having it hand out over the sidewalk or even into the street. That is technically illegal but I rarely see it ticketed.
I have seen some driveways in Georgetown and other places that are fare less than a car length wide, meaning that with cars parked on eithe side, these "spaces" would be of little value or would possibly encroach on the driveway of a neighbor.
What I don't understand though is why there are only 8 zones for the entire city (I know they are pegged to the council districts). I have lived in cities with 50,000 people that had more zones and as it stands now, I can use my Zone 6 sticker to park for free on my block in SW, on Capitol Hill, and all way up to RFK stadium. Its a nice perk I suppose, but it really stretches the concept of "residential parking."
Um, forgive me for this which may be an extremely foolish question, but if you have a driveway why are you parking on the street in the first place? Most of the driveways I see in Georgetown are empty.
Also, I have the feeling that if you can afford to live in Georgetown you can afford to pay $180 for guaranteed parking, right?
I feel the ominous presence of the towing industry behind this. Nice to know DC Police in Georgetown will be busy issuing driveway parking tickets instead of dealing with those messy street crimes.
Not exactly sure where I stand on the driveway debate, but everyone lining up on the "make it impossible to park in DC" camp aren't entirely right. In a perfect world, yes, people would get on a bus or the subway and walk if they couldnt find parking. But people like their cars and, when they cant find anywhere to park in DC, they will stop coming and instead support businesses along Rockville Pike or some other God-awful commercial strip in the suburbs, robbing DC of any tax revenue at all.
This happened before- businesses and stores and people moved out of the city when it became easier to drive that brand new Cadillac on the nice wide street in the subdivision and park in the huge lot outside the shopping mall. We shouldnt destroy DC's urban character to accommodate the car, by tearing down buildings to build parking garages or tearing down SW to build a freeway (oops), but if we make it impossible for drivers to come downtown they just will stop coming.
If we're going to charge outrageous amounts for residents to park in front of their own homes, can we start selling parking permits for around $500/year to these suburbanites who double park on our streets for church on Sundays?
$180 actually seems pretty cheap to me. I know people who pay $250 for parking near where they want to be.
And it is public land. And maybe a fee will discourage improper use (ie renting either the driveway or street space).
I don't really understand why anyone so fortunate enough to own a front garage would (dare) be so rude as to park their car, basically, on the sidewalk. But I see it everyday.
F - i'm assuming your "You live in Maryland, don't you" comment was directed at me. if you click on my screenname, you can see that i live in bloomingdale (if you're not sure where that is, as i like to say, look it up). we don't have a parking emergency in bloomingdale, but there are times when you might have to go a couple blocks afield to find a decent spot. not usually though.
B has the perfect response to your rant (and i say rant because instead of calm, rational discussion, you use a lot of exclamation points and SCREAM IN CAPITAL LETTERS). the street is public space, not for your private use. if you live in a row house (again, as i do), you'll know that even your front yard is not your property, but the city's. i'm not going to go into semantics here, but basically, the point is that the city is robbing itself of income by massively underpricing its street parking, which is an asset that should be leveraged better. not to rob the middle class resident of hard-earned money, but certainly to keep from subsidizing behavior that isn't in the city's best overall interests.
your rebuttal?
$180 for a personal parking spot for a year? WAAHHHHHHHHHHH. What babies. Just because it's in front of your house doesn't make it yours. Fucking whiners.
freedc:
u have got to be kidding me if you think im going to pay $200 a year for a Ward 1 parking permit.
The interesting thing here is that the decision to let people park in front of their driveways is not the decision "robbing" a public asset, it was the decision to allow the driveway in the first place that did that.
The "if they can afford a home there, they can afford $180 a year to park there" argument assumes incorrectly that everyone who lives in a specific area has the same financial situation. I live north of Georgetown in an area most consider affluent, but people all over the income spectrum live there, and for some, $180 a year to park the car they need to get to work each day would seem like a huge fee.
Increase the residential park fee? Are you crazy? My household already pays DC roughly $18,000 in income and property taxes. The inspection registrations fees ($72.00/year + $25.00/2 years + $15/year). So every 2 years I'm paying $200 to register my car, not to mention the $1000 in insurance/year. I take Metro to work but I will keep my car. I think my taxes more then pay for this bloated government.
Ward 1 Resident
Agreed, Reid. But I don't think DDOT PS is permitting many new curb cuts at single family homes now-a-days. Most are legacies. That's part of what makes this pilot less than savory. To make a zoning analogy, it intensifies what is essentially an existing nonconforming situation.
If you don't live in Georgetown and you can't find parking, go pay for a spot in a parking garage. I believe there should be many more spaces for residents ONLY with a $15 a year permit and not a dollar more. Georgetown residents should pay more a year so VA and MD yahoos can come to civilization for the day? I don't think so. You say the streets are for everyone...do you pay DC taxes???