What with every other goofy Euro idea making its way across the pond, it won’t be long until we see something like this in our major cities.
The Dutch drivers’ organisation ANWB is critical of a government plan to force owners of polluting cars to pay higher parking fees. On Tuesday, a spokesman of the Dutch Ministry of the Environment said diesel cars and Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) will soon pay more to park their cars. By contrast, environmentally friendly cars will see their parking costs reduced.
The government is due to discuss the bill next month. If accepted by the parliament, the new law could be put into practise in 2008.
Seattle is already eliminating as much parking as possible within the limits of downtown, making parking hard to find and expensive as hell, and is building parking garages at either end of town, forcing people onto the county’s inept bus system to get around. They have also started a program of making one of the surface level main thoroughfares through the city a “Bus Only” street and have plans for at least one of the others to be as well.
One of the reasons I haven’t been back, except on my employer’s dime, for years.
And as an added item of interest, if you live in an unincorporated part of King County and want a Washington State Concealed Pistol License, as of my last inquiry just a couple months back for a friend, you have to go to the downtown offices of King County Administration for your initial application. Renewals may be handled at a King County Sheriff’s Department Precinct Substation. Something about fingerprints, I do believe.