Not so deep thought...
Remember Chaka Fattah's proposal during the primary to study the idea of congestion pricing for Center City? It was one of the points in his transportation plan. In other words, he was looking into charging people to drive their cars into the central business district. Whooo boy did he catch some flak for that one - including from folks like Inga Saffron who correctly pointed out that traffic in Center City really isn't all that bad most of the time.
Anyway, there was a fair amount of consternation about the idea as I recall.
So isn't Mayor Nutter's plan to raise the parking tax from 15 percent to 20 percent (an increase that will be passed on almost entirely to the consumer) along the same line? Yet... not so much with the consternation.
I bring this up only because today's Metro previewed the release a new report by the Center City District that includes suggestions for freeing up the snarls that occur during the morning and afternoon rush.
The Metro put the congestion question to Deputy Mayor of Transportation and Public Utilities Rina Cutler:
Some officials, both at City Hall and with regional transportation groups, have already begun examining ways to alleviate the congestion.
“Congestion is on the agenda,” Deputy Mayor for Transportation Rina Cutler said yesterday.
She said the rising price of parking, the possibility of $4 per gallon gas and a more attractive public transit system will lower the amount of cars in Center City in the near future.
All of this true and as a frequent Center City pedestrian, friend of clean air and amateur fan of issues relating to city planning and design, I'm all for raising the price of parking (and therefore the price of driving into Center City) so high that it actually becomes worthwhile to develop new businesses instead of surface parking lots and garages. (With the caveat that SEPTA must also be expanded and made into a world-class mass transit system - perhaps using some of the increased revenue that comes from the parking tax.)
I'm just saying, parking tax increase vs congestion pricing - is there such a big difference?
If you drive into Center City on a daily basis - whether to work, shop or dine - what would it take to get you to take SEPTA? Will an increase in the parking tax and subsequent increase in what you pay for parking cause you to leave the car behind or simply avoid coming into the city?
Tell us your story in the comments.
Comments (3)
I think there's a mostly psychological difference between congestion pricing and raising parking taxes. Parking fees aren't seen as a tax by most. Also, wouldn't the congestion pricing idea have required toll booths or something for commuters to wait in line at? It's all in the implementation.
As far as encouraging public transit use over driving, I strongly agree that expanding SEPTA's network is very important. However, you also want to find ways to get people to both work and live in the city. The suburbs are designed so you pretty much have to own a car, so suburban commuters view public transit as an extra transportation expense that wouldn't exist if they worked in the 'burbs. Unless, of course, they save the equivalent of the cost of a SEPTA transpass through the gas they don't purchase -- but that also requires some abstract thinking. You need to keep the reasoning as simple as possible.
Anyway, it all comes down to making the city a more desirable place to live and attracting jobs into the city. Once you have those two things, you're well on your way to creating demand for an expanded transit system.
Posted by Goofy | March 5, 2008 5:00 PM
If we actually had a subway system that could reach all parts of the city instead of some reaching the city and some reaching via regional rail, we could be a world class transit system and would alleviate traffic and get some of these busses off the streets and move the people underground onto a train
Posted by Anonymous | March 5, 2008 11:49 PM
Actually, there is a difference between a congestion charge and raising parking fees. Parking fees hit commuters and people heading downtown to shop and run errands.
A congestion charge hits everyone, including delivery drivers. I don’t see many delivery trucks headed into parking structures in Center City, but I sure do see a lot of them double-parked on the streets during the day.
In London, the most notable implementer of a congestion charge, vehicles coming into the city only have to pay the ₤8 (~ $16) fee during 7am and 6pm.
I am by no means an expert on delivery services to businesses, so perhaps delivering merchandise to retailers in Center City on Chestnut St at 11:30am while doubling-parking is the best way to do it. But wouldn’t be nice if there was an incentive for some of those deliveries to happen after 6pm?
Just another angle on this issue.
Posted by Anonymous | March 7, 2008 1:08 PM