Page One

To the Editor: 

The July 17 Daily Planet article on parking stated that vehicle turnover is necessary to keep the shops busy. Actually, what is needed is not turnover but simply the availability of a place to park. The conventional way to provide this is with limited-time meters or signs, but a better way is to ration the places by price. 

Instead of setting time limits on curb parking, cities should charge the market price for parking. The ideal price is just high enough so that one can usually find a parking spot within a block.  

Berkeley should create a system with optional personal in-vehicle meters, which would reduce the problem of vandalism. The meter inside the car would have its own code number, to deter theft. All the cities in the Bay Area should adopt a common system, so that one can park in San Francisco or Oakland using the same in-vehicle meter. Technology similar to the fast-track we now have at the bridges is available for both in-vehicle meters and street meters, which allows motorists to pay for curb parking without needing to limit how long to park. Many cities now use this technology, including Aspen, Colo. and Arlington, Va. 

Berkeley should have multispace meters that accept coins, bills, tokens, charge cards, or smart cards. If the cars pay by the minute instead of a fixed amount of time, the incentive is to stay there no longer than necessary, inducing faster turnover, but not forcing someone who needs to be there a longer time to move. The meters, whether street or in-vehicle, can charge different prices at different times of the day, depending on how crowded the parking is. If there are plenty of spaces, the charge should be zero. The aim should be not to generate revenue, but to serve the public by efficiently rationing parking spaces. 

To prevent vandalism of the street meters, there should be a very high penalty for causing damage, and a reward for reporting the vandals with evidence such as a photo. We can solve the parking problem with the latest technology coupled with the right economic incentives. 

Fred Foldvary 

Berkeley