The very first issue committee I ever sat on was a “Backyard Parking Implementation Committee” that was looking at commuters parking in backyards. Paul Soglin appointed me to the committee in 1995 or 1996. Looks like if we want all these cars off the downtown streets for snow removal, we may need to go back to looking at those rules.
The parking dilemma in the downtown area is that many of us, even the few homeowners, don’t have places to park our cars (garages), or maybe even driveways. Look around, the garage in the downtown area is a rare find, mostly we have surface parking spots in backyards. Personally, I share a driveway with my neighbor and we each have one parking spot. Of course, we have more than one car in our households.
The second issue is that even when there are parking spaces, many landlords rent them out to commuters who will pay more monthly than the people who live here. So, many of the off-street parking spaces are taken up by people who work downtown. I have 8 parking spaces across the street from my house (soon to possibly be the new home to the Conklin House) that the previous landlord refused to rent to neighbors.
A third (side) issue is that when you live downtown, you have to pay the city for a “hunting permit” to park your car on the street for more than 2 hours during the day. We call them “hunting permits” because they sell up to four times as many permits as there are parking spaces in some areas.
So, for the pleasure of living somewhere without a garage or a permanent parking space or even the ability to rent one, and having to pay to park on the street for more than 2 hours or risk paying additional tickets for that, you also get the pleasure of paying more for your alternate side parking tickets during snow emergencies. That’s right, the rest of the City pays $20 for their alternate side parking tickets – and most of them have driveways and places to move their cars to. In the downtown area, with parking taken by commuters and few driveways or garages to move the cars to, we get to pay $30.
That’s why the recent proposal to have those of us who live downtown pay three times as much as the rest of the people in the City of Madison is just offensive. A $60 ticket can only be supported if there are signs posted in the downtown area that clearly states that these tickets will be given and everyone in the downtown gets annually mailed something letting them know about the rules and a the public education is quadrupled. (Simply leaving a flyer on a car once a year, when your car might not be parked where they are handing out the flyers that night is not sufficient.) Sending a press release to the TV and radio stations just isn’t enough. We have to do more, I suggested that when they give out tickets, they should hand out the rules about alternate side parking, but they said that would be too time consuming. I guess its just easier to fine people than educate them.
I know that many people think that people who live downtown are just willing to pay the tickets for the “convenience” of not moving our cars. To that I say, if you’ve ever tried to get a car shoveled out after you forgot to move your car, you only do that once. Standing on the snow covered streets, shoveling while cars are going by is a very uncomfortable (i.e. dangerous) thing to do. Plus, you end up shoveling hardened plowed snow and often you end up needing a push to get out. Additionally, once you’ve done that, that is one less parking spot for you to park in when you get back. I used to carry a shovel in my car so that I could then shovel a parking space for my car when I got home, but I broke the shovel on the hard crusty snow left by the plows. I can just say, it’s not worth the $30 “convenience”. (Luckily, now Rob usually gets home before I do and he parks on the street and I get the parking spot. I feel so spoiled.)
So, before I’d agree to a $60 ticket for alternate parking during snow emergencies, I’d say, get the commuters out of our backyards, put up signs about alternate side parking, mail something to the residents who live downtown, open the parking ramps and parking lots (for those who are close) find new and better ways to get the word out about snow emergencies and then, we can talk about raising the fines. I think that before we raise the fines, we have to try harder to let people know the rules, especially since many are renters (95% of my neighborhood) who may be living in this area of town for the first time.
