Getting There

My SpaceNO, THAT PARKING SPOT ISN’T FREE

It’s not yours. It belongs to all of us. That convenient parking spot in front of your home or apartment is public property. Property rights don’t extend into the street.

It’s frustrating when outsiders— commuters, shoppers, restaurant guests, students and visitors (but not yours, of course)—zero in on “your” spot and fi ll “your” street.

Competition for on-street parking is more crowded than ever. Curb space is needed for hydrants, deliveries, transit, parklets, outdoor dining, curbside pickup, bike lanes, wider sidewalks, shared bikes, scooters, electric vehicle charging, Donald Shoup puts it, parking spaces are “a fertility drug for cars.”

By issuing free permits, Sacramento doesn’t cover the cost of administering the permit program. In San Francisco, an annual parking permit costs $165. If Sacramento did something similar for its 25,000 zoned spots, the city could gain more than $4 million every year.

That money could go toward improving neighborhoods and maybe help pay down debt for Golden 1 Center, the city’s share of which is funded by parking revenue.

Sacramento’s residential parking permit program privatizes public space. It gives exclusive use of valuable space to select citizens. Residents would scream if Sacramento charged for permits after 43 years of giving them away free. But there would be considerable benefi ts.

California recently passed a law to eliminate the ability of cities to mandate off-street parking for most new development within a half mile of transit stops. The intent is to make housing near transit more affordable, since garages add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of development, potentially reducing the number of units.

In 2014, it was estimated a single underground parking space for a residential or commercial development could cost up to $80,000. That number is higher now.

The negative impact of unfettered car usage is enormous. There are efforts to eliminate parking minimums everywhere, not just near transit, and let developers and the market determine whether the expense of parking is justifi ed.

To repeat, free parking, whether at a workplace, mall, restaurant or residential street, is never free. Let’s stop giving it away.W S

By Walt Se fert Getting There

taxi-Uber-Lyft and, someday, automated vehicles. There’s a developing fi eld called curb management to fi gure out how best to use this scarce resource.

Primary demand for street parking comes from commuters and visitors. Complaints from residents prompt many cities to give residents fi rst dibs. In Sacramento, residents receive permits to park long-term in their neighborhood zone. Permits are free. The zones, established in 1979, now include more than 25,000 parking spaces.

Here’s the thing. Parking is never really free. Basically, cities let residents store their cars on the street, immobile about 95 percent of the day and night. Private cars are convenient when moving, but also expensive millstones, gobbling up space larger than some studio apartments, when parked.

Free parking is one of the most signifi cant ways America subsidizes car use and encourages car ownership. As UCLA professor and parking guru

Walt Seifert is executive director of Sacramento Trailnet, an organization devoted to promoting greenways with paved trails. He can be reached at bikeguy@surewest.net. n

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INSIDE OUT

Dinner in the Park

PHOTOS BY SUSAN MAXWELL SKINNER

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This year’s Dinner in the Park guests enjoyed gourmet food and live music at Carmichael Community Garden at Sutter Park and Jensen Botanical Garden. The event, presented by Carmichael Parks Foundation, raised funds for youth scholarships and park beautification. 1. Dinner for 350 guests is served in Jensen Botanical Garden. 2. County Supervisor Rich Desmond (second from left) hosts family members (from left) Jim Miller, Meg Desmond, Lisa Desmond, Linda Miller, Pete Desmond (rear) and Lola Desmond. 3. Carmichael Parks Foundation Director Gary Hursh (center) applauds gala organizers Ken Ward and Sharon Ruffner. 4. Former County Supervisor Susan Peters (center) joins Michelle Brown, Alaina Lofthus, Dr. Kathy Gunz, and Rosie and Jeffrey Buck. 5. KFBK News anchor Kitty O’Neal (center) is event emcee. Tablemates are (from left) Lori and Tawnley Pranger, Carol Van Bruggen, and Brett and Chyanne Bartlett. 6. State Assemblymember Ken Cooley (center) joins gala supporters (from left) Tom Jones, Linda Martin, General Davie, Karen Jones and Matt Ceccato.

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