Over the last year, the introduction of increased prices for metered parking has yielded successful results. Boston, a densely populated city, is notorious for its heavy traffic on winding streets and lack of empty parking spaces on these streets. The pilot program, which was launched in January of last year, was a trial run to see how effective hiking metered parking prices would be in alleviating congestion on the streets and controlling illegal parking. In a city where these things are hard to control, instituting a program like this is the most promising way for cities to collect revenue on parking — and to get residents to pay for it.
Now, Boston officials, including Mayor Martin Walsh, are considering making such fees permanent. However, the change has been controversial, frustrating residents who cannot afford paying up to $4 per hour in some neighborhoods to park and enjoy services offered by the establishments there. While higher fees may discourage people from driving, and promote alternate forms of transportation like ride-sharing services, biking and using public transportation, Bostonians are complaining about having to pay the price, and more specifically, how higher fees apply to only certain neighborhoods.
While the $3.75 parking charge in Back Bay may seem like a hefty price, this is about the same price as street parking in some areas of New York City. In order for a city to collect a decent amount of revenue to maintain infrastructure which supports transportation, charging this much is an effective way to raise funds. And these prices serve to lower incidences of illegal parking, which is beneficial to police officers and helps curtail unnecessary expenses.
Moreover, the Back Bay area is home to Boston’s Newbury Street, and attracts many tourists, making finding parking a nightmare for many. Neighborhoods that attract many shoppers, diners and tourists struggle the most with a lack of parking spaces. By making these areas more expensive to park in, officials can force residents to consider driving there and using other means to get to their destination such as taking an Uber or the T. After all, a trip on the T costs $2.25, and using an Uber Pool for a short distance could end up being less expensive than parking. Anything to relieve the congestion on the streets and sidewalks in the area is a necessary measure to take and for the city to adopt permanently in the future.
These prices not only help the environment by reducing pollution, but they’re also a safe decision for bikers who often get hit by people opening their car doors and hitting moving bikers in the process. While some of these doors can be accredited to Uber or Lyft passengers, these accidents are also caused by drivers and passengers in their own cars. In an environment where biker safety is always under threat, a small measure like this provides bikers with at least some reassurance.
The main argument used against the program is that it isolates drivers who cannot afford to drop $4 every time they need to park. While this is certainly not the most equitable way to handle the situation, it seems like it’s most effective way to help a problem that seems to have no end in sight. By charging different neighborhoods different fees, the pricing seems to discriminate against poorer residents from frequenting wealthier neighborhoods. In fact, Seaport charges each block different prices, charging an hourly fee ranging from $1 to $4. There are concerns these prices will create a rift between those who can and can’t afford prices, deepening the divide between the upper and lower classes in Boston.
However, there are a lot of people in Boston who certainly can afford paying $4 for parking, and not necessarily just wealthy residents. People who drive their cars will surely not be entirely deterred by the cost to park. Many of them will continue driving and pay the price. It seems like a reasonable price to request of residents who live in a city which is expensive to live in as is.
This measure mostly affects people who have to rely on street parking every day. Most workspaces or office have separate parking spots or offer a discounted price to park. Thus, hiking prices does not affect most people by any means. There are parking garages in Boston that are more expensive than metered parking on the streets. Residents who drive can certainly afford this cost. Equitable or not, this program assures a steady source of revenue for the City and prompts others to use other more cheap and environmentally-friendly options.
