The talk about privatizing Lincoln's parking meter enforcement makes me wonder about parking meter rates. See, when a private company is responsible for something like meter enforcement, they typically get a say in the rates. In Chicago that has meant skyrocketing meter rates. Lincoln officials say that won't happen here. And it won't -- if contracts are written correctly.
Current parking meter rates are $0.50 per hour. In contrast to meters on the UNL campus -- where rates vary somewhat by location -- City meters all use the same rate. That seems a little silly to me. Doesn't it make sense for rates to be higher in high-profile locations?
For that matter, $0.50 per hour may be on the low side. Omaha's rate, for example, is $1.00 per hour, or $1.25 per hour in the Midtown District. Lincolnites will pitch a fit if rates increase -- we always do -- but that doesn't mean it's a bad idea. Far worse than a rate increase would be adding to the timeframe that meters must be fed. Currently meters are enforced 8am to 6pm, Monday through Saturday. That's ok with me.
Do parking meters affect your Downtown plans? Would you be willing to pay more if you had to?
Comments
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I would be willing to pay more if they would find some way to plug them with something other than coins. Something mobile phone based or smart-card based that would allow one to quickly and easily pay would make the experience much better for me. I don’t care about paying as much as I do trying to dig quarters out of nasty areas of my car.
I deposit money on a Park-it Card and park in the parking garages near my work. That way I don’t have to worry about getting away when the meter needs to be plugged or if I have enough change for the meter. My car stays cool in the summer and I don’t have to clean the windows in the winter.
I have gone downtown before, searched for a place to park in vain, and then turned right back around and gone home. The parking situation in downtown Lincoln is one of the worst I have seen anywhere in the US. There is next to no place to put a car, and this is made more exasperating because there’s honestly very little to do downtown. Go see a movie or eat somewhere and then go back home. In Omaha, a trip to the Old Market could last you all day with things to do. As it stands, I already have a hard time with willingness to pay more to park anywhere, but if it was more expensive? I already just use my student parking pass and sit in a UNL lot, but I feel sorry for those without that option.
I’m always amused by comments like this. The notion that there’s “very little to do downtown” conflicts with the fact that so many people are down there. If there were nothing to do, wouldn’t parking be a simpler matter? There may not be activities that you want to do, but that’s an entirely different problem.
Besides, except on the busiest days—football Saturdays come to mind—it’s really quite simple to find a parking space Downtown. There are more than enough parking spots in the area. Often when somebody says there is “no” parking Downtown what they really mean is there are few spots within their desired walking distance within their desired price range. Again, that may be a problem, but it’s not the same as the stated problem.
I stand by my statement. And yes, I agree, there are no activities *I* want to do beyond a film and a dinner. And when the options are so limited, I make the decision about worth for walking a long distance for a short stay.
And so many people may be downtown because, quite honestly, it’s one of very few places in Lincoln where there is *something* to do. There are few other options. There can still be very little to do, but a desperate town takes advantage of what little there is and parks down there.
I know entertainment value differs from person to person, but this town offers very little for a person my age - especially anything worth paying to park for. And… before someone else states that I should do so, I do plan on leaving as soon as I’m graduated. But, if this town is good enough for some, good for them.
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