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There are two problems with charging people to park: one is enforcement, which isn't free, and the other is that customers strongly prefer to shop where free pa

by gamble 16y ago

There are two problems with charging people to park: one is enforcement, which isn't free, and the other is that customers strongly prefer to shop where free parking is available. Even if prices are lower at the shop that charges for parking, people will prefer the shop with free parking. If you restrict parking availability in an area, you'd have to be prepared for customers to go elsewhere unless there are no other options.

philwelch 16y ago
Since parking spaces are mandated by the government already, it isn't even an economic choice yet. Once it becomes an economic choice, stores will have to work out the cost-effectiveness of each marginal square foot of parking lot instead of taking a given quantity of free parking space as a given.
maigret 16y ago
Living in Europe, I can see free & paying parkings. In bigger cities, most shops haven't free parking an it's not apparently keeping customers away. When you go in the land though, most parking is free. Interesting enough, I've seen the opposite effect to the one you've described - in a city where all street parking was costly, a supermarket had to make his parking paying for non-customers and customers who took more that one hour.
w00pla 16y ago
> which isn't free, and the other is that customers strongly prefer to shop where free parking is available. It is not just that. The mere act of shopping at most stores requires a car. In Japan for example all fairly big items (such as chairs, etc...) gets delivered. You do not buy 24 cans of coke and a liter of mayonnaise and take it on the train with you. You buy one ridiculously small can of coke at a small (and expensive) convenience store near you. So, I wouldn't be as quick as to require all people shopping to not come with a car. Living in the suburbs has its advantages - cheap storage space, etc... So you can actually buy in bulk.
- jrockway 16y ago
  I buy in bulk (from Amazon) and live in the city center. Food does not take up that much space.
ugh 16y ago
Well, this article doesn’t really argue for charging people to park, it only argues that providing parking space shouldn’t be a requirement for businesses.
yummyfajitas 16y ago
If the gains due to free parking outweigh the costs, stores will provide free parking themselves. If they do not outweigh the costs, stores will not do so. No one is advocating restricting parking. If a store wishes to provide underground parking, for instance, they should be permitted to do so.

by gamble 16y ago

philwelch 16y ago

Since parking spaces are mandated by the government already, it isn't even an economic choice yet. Once it becomes an economic choice, stores will have to work out the cost-effectiveness of each marginal square foot of parking lot instead of taking a given quantity of free parking space as a given.

maigret 16y ago

Living in Europe, I can see free & paying parkings. In bigger cities, most shops haven't free parking an it's not apparently keeping customers away. When you go in the land though, most parking is free. Interesting enough, I've seen the opposite effect to the one you've described - in a city where all street parking was costly, a supermarket had to make his parking paying for non-customers and customers who took more that one hour.

w00pla 16y ago

> which isn't free, and the other is that customers strongly prefer to shop where free parking is available. It is not just that. The mere act of shopping at most stores requires a car. In Japan for example all fairly big items (such as chairs, etc...) gets delivered. You do not buy 24 cans of coke and a liter of mayonnaise and take it on the train with you. You buy one ridiculously small can of coke at a small (and expensive) convenience store near you. So, I wouldn't be as quick as to require all people shopping to not come with a car. Living in the suburbs has its advantages - cheap storage space, etc... So you can actually buy in bulk.

jrockway 16y ago
I buy in bulk (from Amazon) and live in the city center. Food does not take up that much space.

ugh 16y ago

Well, this article doesn’t really argue for charging people to park, it only argues that providing parking space shouldn’t be a requirement for businesses.

yummyfajitas 16y ago

If the gains due to free parking outweigh the costs, stores will provide free parking themselves. If they do not outweigh the costs, stores will not do so. No one is advocating restricting parking. If a store wishes to provide underground parking, for instance, they should be permitted to do so.