No Parking Meters Petition In Galveston

[binhereawhile]

Greg Roof who stopped the city from putting up parking meters on the Seawall a few years back has now started a petition to make street parking free through out the island. Brillant idea I think. What do my happy friends from Houston think about Galveston becoming Meter Free?

[RedScare]

If Galveston residents want to increase their taxes to pay for the revenue shortfall caused by letting me park my happyass in their city for free, who am I to stop them? I am more than happy to pay my share when I use Galveston's infrastructure, but I am not going to force them to take my money.

[musicman]

i'ts pretty obvious no one has been to galveston if they are complaining about parking. i got the ghetto trashbags removed from the meters surprisingly easy. at least that's what i was told. i went this past weekend and they are gone.

[TheNiche]

If Galveston residents want to increase their taxes to pay for the revenue shortfall caused by letting me park my happyass in their city for free, who am I to stop them? I am more than happy to pay my share when I use Galveston's infrastructure, but I am not going to force them to take my money.

Based on my pre-Ike/post-Ike observations, I think that demand for Galveston businesses is inelastic as it pertains to the costs incurred at parking meters. I would speculate that that's the nature of a tourism-heavy neighborhood. Thus I would agree that it's most likely in Galveston's best interests to restore metered parking.

[binhereawhile]

Wow! It's hard to believe that you guys like the idea of paying to park in Galveston's downtown. My favorite areas of Houston are parking meter free.

[TheNiche]

Wow! It's hard to believe that you guys like the idea of paying to park in Galveston's downtown. My favorite areas of Houston are parking meter free.

Hey, my parents live in downtown Galveston and I relish the opportunity to be able to park on the street for a couple of days at a time when I'm visiting them. I like the free parking.

I'm just saying, it makes sense for the City of Galveston (not Houston, and no they aren't comparable destinations). If I said anything else, I'd be a liar.

[RedScare]

Wow! It's hard to believe that you guys like the idea of paying to park in Galveston's downtown. My favorite areas of Houston are parking meter free.

Oh, I suppose that I could have done the knee-jerk, 'no more taxes!' post, but since I am an adult who can comprehend the consequences of his actions, I thought that I'd post the consequences of abolishing parking revenue paid by tourist. It will be paid by residents. Enjoy your tax increase!

[AtticaFlinch]

Even with the meters, there have always been plenty of free spots no more than five or so blocks from any Galveston destination. Personally, I've always enjoyed the walk.

[TheNiche]

Even with the meters, there have always been plenty of free spots no more than five or so blocks from any Galveston destination. Personally, I've always enjoyed the walk.

Yeah, if you're willing to park west of 25th Street. But that's a pretty hard boundary between Downtown and 'the Jungle'. You don't want to be there after dark.

[Fringe]

Except during select events during the year I don't see parking being a big problem down there. So is it's only purpose revenue driven?  

[AtticaFlinch]

Yeah, if you're willing to park west of 25th Street. But that's a pretty hard boundary between Downtown and 'the Jungle'. You don't want to be there after dark.

Or in between G and Broadway. There's plenty of free parking there.

[binhereawhile]

When I started this post I had expected to get someone that might like or see the benifits of free parking in downtown Galveston. But perhaps I should explain more fully what's going on down here.

The old and often broken meters downtown got Iked and the city is planning on installing a new computerized model. This meter will accept cash or credit card. The fee will be $1.25/hour. The fines will remain at $17/a ticket for now but will probably increase. One feature of the enhanced meters is that they will automaticly alert a mobile meter maid electronicly whenever a meter is overdue. So they can waste no time getting to the offender and issuing a ticket. The ticket revenue is the real money maker for the city. The meter money itself goes mostly to the meter company, Ampco.

Before Ike, locals had been avoiding going downtown during the day because of the meter fees and fines. 3 tickets and you get the 'boot' , a trip to the impound yard and a municipal court date. Most tourists tear up their tickets and vow never to return. So the burden is mostly on the locals.

Before the meters weren't enforced till 10 am, giving locals a chance to hang out in the coffee houses and breakfest joints in the morning. That won't be the case with the new meters. Also the meters were not enforced on Sundays and the locals mostly took that oppurtunity to go downtown in the afternoon.

[ricco67]

Before Ike, locals had been avoiding going downtown during the day because of the meter fees and fines. 3 tickets and you get the 'boot' , a trip to the impound yard and a municipal court date. Most tourists tear up their tickets and vow never to return. So the burden is mostly on the locals.

Before the meters weren't enforced till 10 am, giving locals a chance to hang out in the coffee houses and breakfest joints in the morning. That won't be the case with the new meters. Also the meters were not enforced on Sundays and the locals mostly took that oppurtunity to go downtown in the afternoon.

Well, that happens quite a bit here in Houston. You have morons that come into town here and blow off the tickets as well. So your problem isn't unique at that point. The only satisfaction you should have is that if they eventually come back and get more tickets, they will eventually get booted.

Still, a $17 ticket isn't that big of a deal.

[Fringe]

Wish it was just $17 here in Houston. I've paid more than that to park downtown. 

[RedScare]

When I started this post I had expected to get someone that might like or see the benifits of free parking in downtown Galveston. But perhaps I should explain more fully what's going on down here.

The old and often broken meters downtown got Iked and the city is planning on installing a new computerized model. This meter will accept cash or credit card. The fee will be $1.25/hour. The fines will remain at $17/a ticket for now but will probably increase. One feature of the enhanced meters is that they will automaticly alert a mobile meter maid electronicly whenever a meter is overdue. So they can waste no time getting to the offender and issuing a ticket. The ticket revenue is the real money maker for the city. The meter money itself goes mostly to the meter company, Ampco.

Before Ike, locals had been avoiding going downtown during the day because of the meter fees and fines. 3 tickets and you get the 'boot' , a trip to the impound yard and a municipal court date. Most tourists tear up their tickets and vow never to return. So the burden is mostly on the locals.

Before the meters weren't enforced till 10 am, giving locals a chance to hang out in the coffee houses and breakfest joints in the morning. That won't be the case with the new meters. Also the meters were not enforced on Sundays and the locals mostly took that oppurtunity to go downtown in the afternoon.

No explanation was necessary. Most of us live in a city with parking meters. We understand how they work. More importantly, we understand that they generate revenue that is then used to maintain city infrastructure, like the streets on which the parking meters sit. Take away the meters and you lose that revenue. However, the streets must still be maintained. If the residents of Galveston wish to replace the parking meter revenue with higher property taxes, that is certainly their right, and as a non-resident, I have no dog in the hunt. But, this is a hollow victory, as the City of Galveston needs every dime it can get to pay for repairs to infrastructure damaged by the hurricane, and all your parking meter hero is doing is limiting the amount of money available to do so. When tourists no longer want to come to Galveston, because the streets are full of potholes and the streetlights are burned out, will you still be pushing for a statue for parking meter guy?

I know that it is popular to paint the "government" as our enemy and taxes as "stolen" from us. However, those taxes pay for streets, water lines, sewers, cops and fire protection. In the City of Galveston, the mayor and city council do not even get paid to perform the jobs they were elected to. They are not getting rich doing their civic duty. If I may be blunt, demanding that the city forego revenue from parking is the height of stupidity by Galveston residents. But, it is your city. You'll pay the price. As a non-resident, I'll just enjoy the free parking that your property taxes pay for.

QUESTION: You speak of revenue generators as if they are evil. How do you propose to make up the budget shortage caused by the loss of parking tolls?

Galveston Daily News on the parking meters

[AtticaFlinch]

I know that it is popular to paint the "government" as our enemy and taxes as "stolen" from us. However, those taxes pay for streets, water lines, sewers, cops and fire protection. In the City of Galveston, the mayor and city council do not even get paid to perform the jobs they were elected to. They are not getting rich doing their civic duty.

If you say so, Red, but I know for a fact the mayor's getting rich off the tax dollars.

Here's a photo of the mayor of Galveston with the residents' pilfered tax dollars:

That's pretty damning evidence.

[names]

Galveston parking meters free on Sunday

[Nick ניק]

No explanation was necessary. Most of us live in a city with parking meters. We understand how they work. More importantly, we understand that they generate revenue that is then used to maintain city infrastructure, like the streets on which the parking meters sit. Take away the meters and you lose that revenue. However, the streets must still be maintained. If the residents of Galveston wish to replace the parking meter revenue with higher property taxes, that is certainly their right, and as a non-resident, I have no dog in the hunt. But, this is a hollow victory, as the City of Galveston needs every dime it can get to pay for repairs to infrastructure damaged by the hurricane, and all your parking meter hero is doing is limiting the amount of money available to do so. When tourists no longer want to come to Galveston, because the streets are full of potholes and the streetlights are burned out, will you still be pushing for a statue for parking meter guy?

I know that it is popular to paint the "government" as our enemy and taxes as "stolen" from us. However, those taxes pay for streets, water lines, sewers, cops and fire protection. In the City of Galveston, the mayor and city council do not even get paid to perform the jobs they were elected to. They are not getting rich doing their civic duty. If I may be blunt, demanding that the city forego revenue from parking is the height of stupidity by Galveston residents. But, it is your city. You'll pay the price. As a non-resident, I'll just enjoy the free parking that your property taxes pay for.

QUESTION: You speak of revenue generators as if they are evil. How do you propose to make up the budget shortage caused by the loss of parking tolls?

Galveston Daily News on the parking meters

The City of Galveston will actually get very little money from the meters. Sure the city will collect the $17 parking ticket fines, but under the graduated pay-scale for money made from the parking meters, most of the money will go to the company installing and "operating" them. The only way the city will really make money from the meters is if somehow manage to make more money than they did before Hurricane Ike. There are "sometime in the future" plans about allowing the meter stations to offer free wireless internet, but it was only included as a "possibility" not a certainty. One thing is for certain, however, this is a sweetheart deal for AMPCO. I can't help but wonder who negotiated the deal and if they might have had a conflict of interest.