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>“I think the people getting parking tickets are the most vulnerable in society,” Browder told VentureBeat this week. Did I read that correctly, seriously, did

by tehabe 10y ago

>“I think the people getting parking tickets are the most vulnerable in society,” Browder told VentureBeat this week. Did I read that correctly, seriously, did I read that correctly, he didn't say that people who get parking tickets are the most vulnerable people in society, right? He didn't. He can't.

FussyZeus 10y ago
Perhaps not the most vulnerable in all senses, but you could make the case that they're the most vulnerable financially. It's no secret that a lot of smaller towns (and some big cities for that matter) balance their books on the backs of their lower income residents via traffic tickets and other such tiny violations. When you're check to check a $50 parking ticket can blow away 1/6 of your biweekly income without breaking a sweat, and for some that's all it takes to put them on the street. While it's not a guarantee that whomever violated isn't just an entitled clown, I don't think it's a massive logical leap to assume people who live paycheck to paycheck might have a harder time feeding a meter.
- imgabe 10y ago
  Exactly. If you have money you're more likely to park in a garage to avoid the hassle of looking for a spot on the street, or maybe you took a cab or an Uber and didn't need to park to begin with.
  - CalRobert 10y ago
    Donald Shoup has pointed out how weird it is we tend to price street parking lower than garage parking, generally because only the latter is run by private business. Street parking is generally closer to where you want to go, and easy to get in and out of (unless the street is extremely busy - I always hated parking on Wilshire in LA, even when I found a spot). Making it as expensive as it needs to be to ensure at least one spot is available would ensure easy access for those who want to quickly run in to a shop, while a garage can continue to serve people who want multi-hour stays and for whom a few minutes entering and exiting is less dissuading.

by tehabe 10y ago

FussyZeus 10y ago

Perhaps not the most vulnerable in all senses, but you could make the case that they're the most vulnerable financially. It's no secret that a lot of smaller towns (and some big cities for that matter) balance their books on the backs of their lower income residents via traffic tickets and other such tiny violations. When you're check to check a $50 parking ticket can blow away 1/6 of your biweekly income without breaking a sweat, and for some that's all it takes to put them on the street. While it's not a guarantee that whomever violated isn't just an entitled clown, I don't think it's a massive logical leap to assume people who live paycheck to paycheck might have a harder time feeding a meter.

imgabe 10y ago
Exactly. If you have money you're more likely to park in a garage to avoid the hassle of looking for a spot on the street, or maybe you took a cab or an Uber and didn't need to park to begin with.
- CalRobert 10y ago
  Donald Shoup has pointed out how weird it is we tend to price street parking lower than garage parking, generally because only the latter is run by private business. Street parking is generally closer to where you want to go, and easy to get in and out of (unless the street is extremely busy - I always hated parking on Wilshire in LA, even when I found a spot). Making it as expensive as it needs to be to ensure at least one spot is available would ensure easy access for those who want to quickly run in to a shop, while a garage can continue to serve people who want multi-hour stays and for whom a few minutes entering and exiting is less dissuading.