The Dreaded Orange Tag

From all the fuss on the internets I thought there would be a crowd at City Hall where a plan for citywide resident permit parking was on the agenda.

I went to a very crowded and contentious meeting several years ago where the Summit Neighborhood Association had scores of people lined up to oppose resident overnight parking. I had all my arguments ready this time, but there was no one to argue with.

About fifteen members of the public were there, several of us took the signs handed out by a supporter. Since we were not allowed to speak, we held them up.

For two hours.

I did not see any parking opponents, for what that’s worth.
The acoustics were terrible and I heard very little of what the City Council members said, although the chairman kept pointing his finger at the man who was describing how the plan would work.  It was kind of like watching a silent movie without captions.

I had a lot of time to think–approximately 120 minutes, but who’s counting?

One intense internet brushfire going today concerned the $100 fee for the proposed permit. A new tax. How dare they?

But it’s actually a money saver, here’s why–

If you have a space on your property to park your car, you don’t need to buy a permit. Just keep on parking your car in the same place.

If you don’t have a space and are renting, and you pay less than $10 a month, that’s awesome. What a good deal. Don’t buy a permit. Keep on renting.

If your parking is not secure and convenient, you are probably paying much more than $100 a year, and getting the occasional parking ticket as well. You’ll save money with a permit.

I’m not unbiased. My house was built in 1918 and it was assumed you’d just hop on the trolley if you needed to go anywhere. Maybe you could park your machine on the street if you could afford one.

Those days are gone, but the houses remain. More meetings are planned.