Walking through downtown the other night I came across a couple looking like they were on a date. When I passed them, they were trying to figure out the boot on their car. I’ve seen boots on cars before, but I think this was the first time I’ve seen people trying to figure out what to do about one.
It got me thinking about some consequences of the boot. I’ll reiterate my position, that I’m generally supportive, but worried about some of the consequences to people who can least afford to pay their parking tickets. That didn’t appear to be the case here, so I’ll ignore it and focus on the consequences a few rungs up the economic ladder.
This couple may look elsewhere for their next date. And they might be less likely to come downtown (I obviously don’t know where they’re from) generally in the future. On the other hand, parking is still tight downtown, so whoever parks in that spot next probably is more likely to pay for their space before the boot gets used. Or maybe they’ll learn their lesson and pay for their spot. And when they get a ticket, they’ll pay it promptly, and won’t have this problem.
Carl; You didn’t mention: was this on a public street, or in a private parking lot? I’ve paid at private lots before, and still got notices on my car window saying I hadn’t paid. I was able to resolve it with a phone call, but it could have resulted in my car being booted.
I thought street parking was free after 6 p.m.? Has that changed?
My past experience with the boot (in Boston) is that the delinquent parties have a record of not paying their parking fees and have many unpaid tickets. Once found again on the street they then are booted. Serves them right. Either pay for parking or pay the fine, then you will not have this hassle.
I wish someone would figure out a way to “boot” the freeloaders on our health care. Oh wait! Obama did!
The new street parking fees are a disincentive to spending money downtown.
Two nights a week I’m free and I used to spend around $100-150 per month by hitting a happy hour like El Gaucho or Branzino’s.
Now, with the meters working until 8p, instead of paying to park I just go somewhere else where I don’t have to – Green Lake or Maple Leaf areas.
The complaints by the businesses downtown seem quite valid, in my opinion. The late-operating meters regularly cost them my business.
For once, I agree with sc. I don’t go down town as much as I would if parking were free.
One way to look at it: I prefer to go the liberal socialist malls where the parking cost are spread across everyone instead of the conservative pay-to-play go parking meters of downtown.
“boot”
Heh, my first three cars had boots. The XK-120 actually had a rather large boot for a sports car.
“Boot” is British for the “trunk” of a car. They call the hood a “bonnet”.
@ 7
Doctor Steve making his usual incisive contributions to the discussion. What, no profanity?
“Doctor Steve making his usual incisive contributions to the discussion.”
Yeah, compared to your incisive contribution, a self-proclaimed member of the 1% having a whine fest about chump-change parking fees.
“What, no profanity?”
You swear in your posts, so other than an excuse for you to continue yet another one of your mindless, off-topic, hypocritical whine-fests, WTF is it to you?
Well, we don’t have that problem in Everett. There is a small section of limited-time parking in the business district, and parking is at a premium around Providence hospital and the Courthouse, but other than that it’s generally free street parking throughout the city.
But that’s only because Everett has a fraction of the popularity of Seattle. It’s population is mostly blue-collar working class, the upper range of the middle class has been moving to buy bigger, newer houses in new subdivisions in Arlington and Monroe. For a time there was speculation that Boeing might use Arlington as a site for the 737MAX assembly, since they have an expandable airport there.
As for Seattle, I remember working downtown in the 1980’s, when you could roll of the sidewalks at night as everyone went home to their suburbs at the end of the day. It’s quite a bit different now. Parking fees don’t seem to be discouraging the club crowd which populates a lot of the city at night, and brings in money to restaurants as well. The better quality – and unique – smaller restaurants are a draw unto themselves. Lots of patrons of the steakhouses like El Groucho’s and The Brooklin are made up of highly-paid businessmen and professionals (many on expense accounts), a lot of whom work downtown and have parking in the building paid for by their company, so they will patronize those businesses anyway. Tourists or convention-goers usually don’t bring their cars, they walk. So it’s only the suburbanites that might be disuaded by parking fees – although I expect that’s only a small factor (amounting to about half the tip for one person at an expensive restaurant).
Progressivism requires large, bloated governments to constantly be mining for more revenue sources. Pretty soon we will have our breathing monitored and be charged for air…free for the lefty freeloaders though.
Eventually folks get tired of the constant mining, come to their senses and become more Conservative.
Progressives will keep pushing though. Don’t whine if you vote for these tax & fee-addicts.
Progressivism requires large, bloated governments to constantly be mining for more revenue sources. Pretty soon we will have our breathing monitored and be charged for air…free for the lefty freeloaders though.
Eventually folks get tired of the constant mining, come to their senses and become more Conservative.
Progressives will keep pushing though. Don’t whine if you vote for these tax & fee-addicts.
The downtown business owners are incredibly weak-kneed. Afraid to stand up out of fear of retribution by the Progressive Establishment. So they reap what they sow. If they sit silently and watch their business tank..fuck ’em.
How’s that?
@ 9
Yeah, compared to your incisive contribution, a self-proclaimed member of the 1% having a whine fest about chump-change parking fees.
Doctor Steve, once you get to that percentile you want to stay there. Drinking a beer in Maple Leaf at $4 is just as easy as drinking one in Belltown at $5.50 once the parking is factored in. The same beer tastes the same.
And in Maple Leaf I don’t drive around the block three times looking for a place to park.
I will say, for the record, though, that the Burger at El Gaucho’s happy hour is pretty amazing.
@6 The issue is that no one would go shopping downtown if there was never any open parking spaces. What tends to happen if there is no paid or at least timed parking is that people who work downtown fill up all of the spaces all day.
@2 RR downtown, Belltown and Pioneer Square all have paid parking until 8pm now. Though recently they made it so you could pay for more than 2 hours after 5pm to cater to restaurant and theater goers
@6 The issue is that no one would go shopping downtown if there was never any open parking spaces. What tends to happen if there is no paid or at least timed parking is that people who work downtown fill up all of the spaces all day.
@2 RR downtown, Belltown and Pioneer Square all have paid parking until 8pm now. Though recently they made it so you could pay for more than 2 hours after 5pm to cater to restaurant and theater goers
I’m guessing that’s probably a bigger issue for most people than the parking meters.
What cities need are people living all over them so they can just walk to the local pub. I’m really starting to take a dim view on high rise development as I think it screws with the ability to have appealing places to live. Paris is great, has a density of 52,590 people per square mile, and is mostly low-rise.
Guess the housing density.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUvR9QNAzvc
@14
Maple Leaf isn’t so far from Montlake – what about we all meet for DL next week?
Cereal?
This also has the added benefit of people NOT driving around after they’ve had a few.
Boycottseattle/johnedwards/reillehunter above,
Please stick to one screen name in a thread.
@ 20
Not one of my free nights.
Speaking of multiple screen names, are Gman and Dorky Dorkman one and the same?
“Doctor Steve, once you get to that percentile you want to stay there.”
Shallow one, it’s only important to you, not to me. Unlike you, I know for a fact that I can be perfectly happy even if I don’t have a dime, happier even. Regardless, for someone who was once the poorest kid in Seattle, I’ve done remarkably well, thank you, by simply following my creative interests.
@ 25
Aw, Doctor Steve……
You want me to be happier by relieving me of more of my income in higher taxation, then.
I didn’t know you cared so much about my happiness level, which apparently is in inverse proprortion to my wealth. I never knew.
Such a guy.
@24
They’re different people. Gman was doing OK for a bit, but seems to have slipped back into insanity.
“You want me to be happier by relieving me of more of my income in higher taxation, then”
I don’t give a shit about your happiness. It would make me happier to see you relieved of more of your income. Take from the rich and give to the poor, a splendid idea. Really, just be glad that your throat won’t get slit in the middle of the night by the coming hordes of murderous, poor brown people you dream about.
That was your racist vision of Detroit, hordes of angry black people and white militias shooting them on sight, wasn’t it? Oh, wait, you didn’t actually write about “white” militias. That was my bad. I just assumed so because there are no blacks in Michigan’s extremist right-wing militias. In fact, if you look at their web sites, they leave the distinct impression that they hate black people.
Anyways, back to relieving you of income, I’d bet that you’re not a big fan of Robin Hood. In fact, you probably rooted for Basil Rathbone to kill Errol Flynn. Loser.
They will if they already live downtown* or live within a mile of the lightrail line.
*Why anyone would want to live in downtown Seattle as it’s currently configured is beyond me. But lots of people do:
http://downtownseattle.com/fil.....Report.pdf
If you cannot afford a parking ticket you should either park properly or not drive.
Serial Conservative asks
No gman is not dorky dorkman.
Dorky dorkman is another of headless lucy’s 71 HA leftist personas. Who is headless lucy? HA’s head leftist racist! He likes his ni@@as in the field.
Take the train into Seattle. Take the train out of Seattle. If I can’t do what I need at lunch time, no need coming back to pay those high parking rates. To park in front of my building on the street is $2+ hour. Can’t find parking on Sundays either so why bother with Seattle. Lynnwood or Bellevue just fine for malls, restaurants, and general walking around.