Interview With a Parking Pay Station
A month has gone by since paid parking returned to downtown Tacoma. In the course of that month, the Vice President has been greeted by a Welcome Figure in Tollefson Plaza, medical cannabis rocked the news cycle, and Kings Books got a new owner. Now that these newcomers have had time to settle in and get accustomed to our city, we at Exit133 decided to sit down for a little chat with one of these Parking Pay Stations to hear its impressions so far. But we also wanted to ask difficult questions about the role of Parking Pay Stations in society and the economy.
E133: Let’s start out with something easy. In “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” Bob Dylan sang, “Don’t follow leaders / Watch the parking meters.” The Beatles also sang about parking meters in “Lovely Rita.” Which is your favorite?
PPS: Really? You’re going to start out like that? What kind of paper did you say you write for? Is this some kind of stupid joke?
E133: How many potholes could have been filled with the money taxpayers spent on you?
PPS: yawn
E133: Well, now that we’ve got you a little loosened up, let’s move on to issues of policy. Let’s be frank: you’ve had more than 30 days – an entire month! – to rectify the parking and revenue problems faced by the City. Why isn’t everything perfect yet? Why can’t I eat a lollipop on the rooftop of the clocktower with my pants on my head?
PPS: I’m glad we’re finally getting to the meat of the issue, Dan. You see, my colleagues and I came into this situation with a lot of optimism, a lot of fresh ideas. And yes, there are some serious challenges we face. I’d give myself a solid B+.
E133: Are you ever concerned that you might put private parking lots out of business? I mean, this new parking system is government-owned and government-run. Isn’t that a little socialist?
PPS: Dan, this is a system that helps private business by increasing parking rotation and maintaining reasonable availability. By exploring this funding model, the City is under less pressure to look for other sources of revenue. This also benefits local business owners in an extremely challenging fiscal cycle. Check out this report on the value of the City’s bonds and the outlook on its finances.
E133: You didn’t answer my question.
PPS: I’m not a socialist, Dan.
E133: Can I see a copy of your birth certificate?
PPS: It’s already been displayed at many of the dozens of public meetings the City held on the downtown parking issue. I’m sure you were in attendance. Weren’t you?
E133: Let’s move on. If this new parking system was actually effective, wouldn’t we be seeing some green shoots by now? Why is the parking spot I’m standing in empty? Why aren’t five Thomas Friedman’s lining up in Priuses to swipe this spot from me?
PPS: If $0.75 is all it takes to get Thomas Friedman to go away… And besides, if all those empty spots were full before I was installed, does anyone really believe those drivers were actually patronizing downtown businesses all day?
E133: Seriously, “Lovely Rita” is one of my favorite songs.
PPS: Okay. I really need to get back to creating parking dead zones. It was good to talk to you, Dan. And remember: Downtown Tacoma Parking: I Hope You’ve Got Change.
Filed under: General
19 comments
R RR Anderson October 29, 2010
That paystation looks standoffish and seedy. Wouldn’t trust it with canadian money
S Shoppe Keeper. October 29, 2010
I wonder if it takes hyper local currency.
E Erik B. October 29, 2010
This city SHOULD be adjusting the price of parking downtown based on demand.
Their failure to do so and to charge the same for parking on Pacific Avenue by UWT as on 7th Street by Puget Sound Pizza is continuing to create dead zones in many areas of downtown.
Here is a picture taken on 7th Street by Puget Sound Pizza on 10/19/2010 at noon.
It is not enough to throw the parking stations in and call it good. The city needs to calibrate the price.
S spyder October 29, 2010
tacoma sucks. city council members are morons and you can’t eat anywhere after 10pm! What is wrong with this city.
S Shoppe Keeper. October 29, 2010
I call B.S. on Erik’s photo. Based upon the long shadow in the picture I would guess it is more like 10:00 AM in the photo. It’s certaintly not high noon.
Nor is it a picture of the parking IN FRONT OF PSP, but rather the other side of the street where the is no retail. While in front of PSP it is free parking, it seems reasonable that the pay parking across the street might be a little less used. And if PSP can’t get customers to park in free parking then by Erik’s rules the city should pay people to park in front of PSP.
What I have seen is the places where people want to be, the parking is full and busy. Places that lack an anchor or a draw tend to lack parked cars.
I do think Saturdays should allow all day parking.
A Amocat Cafe October 29, 2010
The Parking Pay Station has given us exposure we may not have had otherwise! It has forced all the city workers who used to park around city hall to walk by Amocat at least twice a day as they park up the hill where parking is still free. Other business districts should give the Parking Pay Station serious consideration. Thank you.
R Randy Brown October 29, 2010
LOL! Funny article!! Agreed, the city certainly has to adjust its rates: $1 or more per hour by the UW and $.50 or less in under-used areas. Also, areas that aren’t worth charging should be free. A mix of the rates would encourage some people to park a block or two further away and then walk to their destination. Downtown could always use a few more pedestrians.
M Matt October 29, 2010
I call B.S. on Shoppe Keeper’s B.S.
FIRST… The length of the shadow is in relation to the position of the sun in the southern sky… it heads south for the winter too.
It’s not the length that’s important but the angle… and the angle of the shadow off the building is perpendicular to the sides of the building… indicating that the sun was at its apex… which would be noon.
Secondly, the caption stated that the picture was taken ‘BY’ PSP… not ‘IN FRONT OF’ PSP.
I know that we’re in an election season and, as a result, we like to gerrymander information so that it fits within our paradigm… but let’s keep it accurate, shall we??
K Kirk Parker October 29, 2010
Great article. I’ll give you double, no triple… ok, make that quadruple bonus points for making fun of Tom Friedman!
Y You're Welcome October 29, 2010
That side of the street is always empty during the day. At dinner time/evening time it gets some use… after 6pm when parking is free. And, it’s nothing to do with the meters, it has everything to do with the nightlife.
How long are we going to sit around bichin bout paid parking before we just embrace it and get on with our lives? It’s $1.50! It’s coming to Proctor and 6th ave very soon! You’re childish whining isn’t making any difference!
K Kirk Parker October 29, 2010
Oh, and Shoppe Keeper—just don’t try to pay in pencil shavings.
M Maria October 29, 2010
Wow, talking parking meters and forensic photographic analysis. A combination of absurdism, and critique on how to interpret the digital representation of time and reality.
Paying for parking doesn’t really bother me. I know we’re all used to free parking here in Tacoma, but most cities I’ve visited charge, and they usually charge more. I’m just hoping the city tweaks the boundaries and rates to accommodate the feedback they’ve gotten. We kinda need to be eased into a new mindset. And, with all the construction work and other challenges, downtown businesses need any encouragement they can get. As the recession lessens and people start spending more, the city can adjust rates accordingly.
P PointDexter October 30, 2010
Machines.dont.extort.money.from.people.
People.extort.money.from.people.
E Erik B. October 30, 2010
Secondly, the caption stated that the picture was taken ‘BY’ PSP… not ‘IN FRONT OF’ PSP.
Right. To be more exact, the photo was taken at 11:59 a.m. on 10/19/2010. However, noon is close enough. The photo was taken from the corner of 7th and St. Helens. PSP is immediately to the left. The photo is also typical of the situation there. The more photos the better.
The purposes of the photo is to show that 7th Street has a far higher (70 percent or more) vacancy rate than the 15 percent target rate:
Hence, the price should be reduced by the city to let the area fill in more. In fact, this area already had a sufficient vacancy rate when parking was free. Thus, perhaps the city should have never included this area in the paid section of the parking area downtown.
C Christine November 1, 2010
Re: Today’s letter by a UWT student in the TNT.
In the letter Ms. Molloy complains about student parking being limited and inconvenient and surely no increased commerce will come because of the meters. She states that no person, Tacoman or not, would pay to park “just to get a cup of coffee.”
I think she’s wrong. In my personal experience she’s very wrong. Originally, I was against the parking meters. Now I like them a lot, although I agree that the rates and time limits should be more flexible according to use and area. There are folks more learned than myself out there that have studied this and have good ideas about it, so don’t ask me about specifics.
Stopping by South Sound Running was a breeze the other day, and I DID get a cup of coffee as well. There were at least 6 spots available between Grassis and Union Station, that never happened before the meters. (At 2 pm, not 7 pm) I was able to nail a spot on Broadway a few days before that to visit Mad Hat Tea. 25 cents was enough toll to have a cup and purchase loose tea for home.
This will increase my time downtown and with the holiday shopping season upon us, I look forward to spending a mere $1.50 to hit Grassis, BKB, Dragonfly and SSR.
T tornado November 1, 2010
I’m with Christine. Between the semi-tall buildings and pay stations, you almost feel like you’re in a real city of 200,000+.
C Chrys November 2, 2010
I don’t think the UWT students should have been using the parking spaces along that stretch of Pacific Avenue in the first place. There are seven lots for the students to park in surrounding the campus. It’s been great to actually have somewhere to park down there since the parking meters have gone into effect. I, for one, will patronize those businesses more often now that I don’t have to park up the hill and hike down. $0.75 – $1.50 is a small price to pay for the convenience.
My take on the picture taken outside of PSP (possibly) near noon isn’t that the meters are taking away business from the area and creating a deadzone. I think the cars filling those slots on any given day before the meters were either residents nearby or employees that have found somewhere else to park and walk in. If people are going to pay $20 for a pizza alone, I can’t imagine they’d balk at a few quarters to park. That area wasn’t exactly bustling before, either.
P PointDexter November 2, 2010
Tacoma.is.a.great.place.to.park…at.any.price.
L low bar November 4, 2010
buy.mopeds.and.shut.up.