According to tomorrow's Star Tribune, price increases for downtown
parking meters are a "done deal." Jackie Cherryhomes announces in the
article that it's going to pass and calls it part of a "transportation
management system that makes sense." Lisa Goodman advocates increasing
parking in other parts of the city.
I believe that in reality the increase for downtown parking meters is
another regressive tax which will hurt people who have to drive downtown
for work or personal business but cannot afford some of the outrageously
expensive parking ramps (I noticed tonig a parking ramp downtown that
charges $6 for the first hour with a maximum of $17 per day).
One of the reasons given for the increase is that it will encourage
people to use parking ramps. This leads me to wonder how much campaing
donations and other side deals various parking ramp owners have provided
to some of our elected representatives.
Another reason for the increase is to encourage people to use public
transit. The reality is that the public transit system in this city,
unless you live within a few miles of your destination right on a bus
line or have no time constraints, is practically useless. When we have
real public transportation, then it would make sense to make people pay
more to drive.
The primary reason for the increase seems to be to raise a projected
$1.2 million more revenue per year. This revenue could also be raised
by cutting Target's $66 million corporate welfare subsidy by 1.8%. If
the city council were at all serious about both being fair and raising
revenue, it would impose a downtown commerical development tax which
would only take a tiny portion of profits by the mostly city-subsidized
corporate developers while raising at least tens of millions of dollars
that could be used to provide for basic needs of Minneapolis residents.
Jordan Kushner
Powderhorn
