The Parking Paradox
Friday, August 01, 2008 Filed in: Ideas
The largest single parking lot in Hawaii is operated
by the State's Department of Transportation. We call
it the highway.
Every day, more people seem to be found parking on H-1, H-2, and sometimes H-3 than anywhere else in the state. King Street, Beretania Street, and Kapiolani Boulevard all rank in the Top 10 Parking Lots of Hawaii.
Believe it or not, parking in Hawaii's state run lots is free but comes with limitations. You can't leave your vehicle unattended. You may feel like it, but you can't. Otherwise, even more cars will begin parking-- right behind yours.
Tippecanoe County, Indiana has more parking spaces per vehicle than anywhere else in the country. 150,000 people in the county have 11 parking spaces for every household. That may sound like an abundance, but it's not. Think of it as cable TV. 500 channels and nothing is on.
That's the parking paradox. No matter how many parking spaces are paved for waiting cars and trucks, there are never enough, and seldom one when you need it most. In Hawaii, the State operated parking lots are always there when you need them the least.
Parking in downtown garages is expensive, either by the month, or by the hour. The paradox is that parking everywhere else is essentially free, including the parking lot known as the highway.
Free? Or not? I think not. The State uses their seemingly free parking lots as a revenue generator. They make money while we sit idling our vehicles in bumper to bumper traffic. How so? Taxes. Every gallon of gasoline we pour into our vehicles comes with a tax to help pay for the parking lot cum-highways, our city streets and byways.
Have you ever wondered why traffic lights seem to be red far longer than necessary? Think of the stop light as a gasoline tax meter. Every minute waiting for the light to turn green means your car or truck burns more precious and expensive fuel that's already been paid for and taxed.
City and State officials are in cahoots, conspiring to make drivers pay more for fuel, then requiring us to burn the fuel faster while going nowhere on their fixed destination parking lots.
It's a self perpetuating money machine. At the pump, we pay for gasoline and taxes. That allows us to drive and park. Sometimes at the same time.
Every day, more people seem to be found parking on H-1, H-2, and sometimes H-3 than anywhere else in the state. King Street, Beretania Street, and Kapiolani Boulevard all rank in the Top 10 Parking Lots of Hawaii.
Believe it or not, parking in Hawaii's state run lots is free but comes with limitations. You can't leave your vehicle unattended. You may feel like it, but you can't. Otherwise, even more cars will begin parking-- right behind yours.
Tippecanoe County, Indiana has more parking spaces per vehicle than anywhere else in the country. 150,000 people in the county have 11 parking spaces for every household. That may sound like an abundance, but it's not. Think of it as cable TV. 500 channels and nothing is on.
That's the parking paradox. No matter how many parking spaces are paved for waiting cars and trucks, there are never enough, and seldom one when you need it most. In Hawaii, the State operated parking lots are always there when you need them the least.
Parking in downtown garages is expensive, either by the month, or by the hour. The paradox is that parking everywhere else is essentially free, including the parking lot known as the highway.
Free? Or not? I think not. The State uses their seemingly free parking lots as a revenue generator. They make money while we sit idling our vehicles in bumper to bumper traffic. How so? Taxes. Every gallon of gasoline we pour into our vehicles comes with a tax to help pay for the parking lot cum-highways, our city streets and byways.
Have you ever wondered why traffic lights seem to be red far longer than necessary? Think of the stop light as a gasoline tax meter. Every minute waiting for the light to turn green means your car or truck burns more precious and expensive fuel that's already been paid for and taxed.
City and State officials are in cahoots, conspiring to make drivers pay more for fuel, then requiring us to burn the fuel faster while going nowhere on their fixed destination parking lots.
It's a self perpetuating money machine. At the pump, we pay for gasoline and taxes. That allows us to drive and park. Sometimes at the same time.
