Insofar as I care, I agree with you. Free parking has not helped our country. One pernicious knock-on effect is that as people get so USED to free parking, any slight increase in meter fees or increase in hassle seems to them to be a major infringement of their civil rights. My civil rights, on the other hand, feel infringed when I’m in the suburbs and can’t walk anywhere…

As for the increase in parking, if it means finding a spot easier when running errands, etc, I don’t mind. And after living without a car in SF for 6 years I do still tend to think like a pedestrian/public transit-rider and say “screw the drivers” but after attempting to take AC Transit a few times, especially with kid in tow, I know how impossible it can be. In fact, my kid’s school, my husband’s work and our house all are within a couple blocks of the #19 and I have often thought how convenient it should be to take the bus… However, it never follows a schedule, its way more expensive than driving, my bus stop isn’t safe and the bus is often filled with sleeping folk whom I wouldn’t want to share a bus with. These are the things that need to be addressed before I get out of my car, not parking prices.

Ralph, You can start driving to Grand Lake again, there is always plently of paring now that they raised the rate. Don’t know what the actual impact on business is yet, but it’s not looking good.

I would guess that the parking in Lakeshore/Grand Lake is 25 to 50% empty these days. The city has overshot on the meter rates, and I suspect that they may actually be taking in less money than they did before the increase.

The City of Oakland was broke and hungry, so it decided to eat the poor. CHP has been doing the same thing, towing people for offenses that ordinarily wouldn’t get more than a warning or a fix it ticket.

The fines are nothing more than a regressive, somewhat random car tax. I would be fine with a regressive once a year car tax! I’d gladly pay $400 a year for registration if I didn’t have to deal with as many random tickets.

i know not why the eco-friendly peeps of Oakland think that it makes more sense to drive to the burbs rather than pay the additional time but what do i know i walk to grand lake because i don’t think it makes sense to drive around looking for non-existent parking.

i’ve no idea why people don’t understand the benefit of turnover. if the stores are open until 8 or 9 and parking stops at 6, the problem should be self evident.

aren’t parking fees already used to pay for improvements in the neighborhood collected.

and if the city never collected a penny from the fines because people actually followed the law versus lack of enforcement, i won’t complain as people are actually doing what i want them to do.