Making those who vote for eco-socialist policies pay for their actions
City proposes limits on residential parking permits
Got two cars on crowded Capitol Hill or Lower Queen Anne?
Parking could become an even bigger headache than it is now.
Faced with more cars than places to park on Seattle streets, the city’s Transportation Department is considering restricting the number of residential parking permits people can have.
In the densest areas – the heart of Capitol Hill around Denny Way, First Hill, Lower Queen Anne, the Pike-Pine corridor, and the Cascade neighborhood – households would have to make do with only one permit.
In others – Wallingford, the eastern part of the University District, Eastlake, less dense areas of Capitol Hill, Ravenna and near Lincoln High School – a household would be allowed two permits.
But for other residents, the proposed restrictions could remove fleets of cars on streets, and parking could get a little better, said city parking planner Mary Catherine Snyder. The permits, which exempt vehicles from time limits in residential parking zones, are intended to give residents a better chance of finding all-day spaces in their own neighborhoods.
Currently, there’s no limit on how many permits a household can have, she said. And that has led to stories of households with five, six, seven vehicles hogging street spaces.
These neighborhoods are the ones where Baghdad Jim McDermott is popular. They are where the Volvo, Subaru and Prius driving set calls home. Notice how we identify these folks by their cars? It is because, although they claim to be “the greenest”, they haven’t actually given up a damn thing when it comes to personal transportation.
These neighborhoods are also where it is nearly impossible to find a parking spot. Large numbers of homes in these areas were built without garages, or have had their garages remodeled to make room for living space, usually to take advantage of the rental market.
I cannot wait to hear the screams of these folks as this proposal goes through.