tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17267242.post6848157681766511616..comments2024-03-27T14:57:27.470-04:00Comments on bloomingdale: Op-Ed by Bloomingdale resident Pat Ellis Mitchell: parking tickets increase in fines‏Scott Roberts of Bloomingdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729317215189785132noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17267242.post-44405871049616256532015-06-17T16:59:38.074-04:002015-06-17T16:59:38.074-04:00I could cut and paste the entirety of my comments ...I could cut and paste the entirety of my comments as the opening salvo to a rebuttal of your arguments and nowhere would you find the statement or even the suggestion that I want parking in D.C. to be free. Nowhere. You missed the point entirely. I don't know for sure, but I would guess your opinion is of one who doesn't own a car...Patsy Real-Timehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05509640111430887405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17267242.post-9676728162901037482015-06-17T14:55:55.750-04:002015-06-17T14:55:55.750-04:00Sure-- but increasing fines for expired meters doe...Sure-- but increasing fines for expired meters doesn't demonize drivers. And disabled residents don't even pay at meters if they have a placard (and do get four hours of parking in two-hour spots), so this isn't really a change that applies to them. Making it more expensive for people to park illegally is exactly the kind of thing that helps drive out the most disruptive kind of driving (the kind where people take up parking spaces longer than their allotted time, or block important pedestrian ways, etc).<br /><br />If what Ms. Mitchell says about decreasing citations due to people using other kinds of transportation, avoiding parking illegally, or using apps rather than quarters is true, I see that as an unalloyed benefit. Fewer illegally parked cars is a good thing for our streets, and even helps those residents who really need to use parking spaces, as it means fewer people taking up spaces for more time than they need them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17267242.post-89694469965095328692015-06-17T11:41:41.443-04:002015-06-17T11:41:41.443-04:00Not all of us can walk or bicycle or want to brave...Not all of us can walk or bicycle or want to brave the uneven Metrobus service (especially in bad weather, hot or cold), and there are significant numbers of elderly residents in the city who essentially need to use their cars to do essentials (shopping, medical appts, socializing) and many others who don't use or can't use the new uber/wireless systems or who are not eligible for paratransit buses, etc. Demonizing car drivers is not a solution! Jeniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12664312090583996220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17267242.post-68896550838660492512015-06-12T17:38:15.771-04:002015-06-12T17:38:15.771-04:00"The real tragedy is that sooner, rather than..."The real tragedy is that sooner, rather than later, drivers will get fed up with this parking vulture-like atmosphere that the current system has created and choose to rely on other options even more heavily or simply forgo parking on District streets altogether."<br /><br />God forbid we have fewer cars on the streets, that would be really quite the tragedy. Less traffic, fewer pedestrian accidents, less impact on the environment, all those things sound terrible!<br /><br />Ms Mitchell apparently wants the government to provide free parking so it's easier for people to have cars. I would rather the government charge full price for street parking spaces (which are currently priced well below the market rate they could charge if they wanted to, especially in places like Adams Morgan where there is a dearth of street parking), at all hours. Making it harder to drive in the city actually benefits all of us, and if it happens to raise a bit of revenue in the process, that's just a side bonus.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com