Rantz: SDOT’s insulting money grab lacks creativity

I think what frustrates me most about the constant anti-car money grabbing schemes by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is they’re so lazy and lack any imagination. They put virtually no effort into their lies. Why? They think we’re idiots.

Related: Seattle to profit off of parking nightmare they’re creating

Last week, I told you about their decision to replace free parking with paid parking on a small side street in South Lake Union. Their reasoning, presented at the time, made little sense. They argued that there was so much demand, the only way they could truly and fairly accommodate people, is to charge you for the spots; it creates “reliable, convenient parking.” That way, the implication is, there would be more cars cycling in and out of the spots, making it a bit easier for folks driving to the area to eat at three restaurants or two local coffee shops near the spots.

Of course, there was already plenty of turnover for different drivers. I know this because I live nearby and saw it frequently.

But let’s just go with SDOT’s reasoning for the sake of pretending they’re being honest. Ah, we can’t go with their reasoning. SDOT lied. This wasn’t about opening up spots for different drivers.

The new paid parking has been installed (they’re very quick to tackle projects that hurt drivers) and it permit drivers to leave their cars in the spots for 10 hours.

Let me get this straight: the way to provide reliable and convenient parking on a street you tell us the demand is so high you need to install paid spots to limit the amount of time people can camp out in a spot … is to allow for 10-hour long occupancy where rates expire at 6pm? What a crock.

Here’s what SDOT is doing: they got the impression that maybe someone at a nearby apartment complex wasn’t willing to spend nearly $200 to park in the lot (a price made so high by the city’s unwillingness to dictate enough parking to cover people renting in apartments).

So, rather than cut these people a break, SDOT will charge them for the spot under the guise they’re doing this for spot turnover. And they feed drivers this nonsense because they lack any and all respect for them. They know driver’s are powerless with a city administration that loathes drivers beyond the cash they siphon from their bank accounts. This is not an issue about whether or not you should have or feel entitled to free parking. This is an issue of how SDOT treats their customers. They put no effort into their paper-thin lies because they don’t give a damn about you. That should enrage you.

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