Should Edmonds introduce paid street parking? KIRO hosts discuss proposal

The Edmonds City Council will decide this week whether to introduce paid street parking downtown, replacing the current free parking to generate new revenue for the city. The parking would bring in an estimated $250,000 to $300,000, The Edmonds Beacon reported.

KIRO host Ursula Reutin weighed the options, stating that it has become increasingly hard to secure a spot near a shop or restaurant in downtown Edmonds.

“The times I’ve gone to Edmonds, it’s getting harder and harder to park, and you’re having to go blocks away,” Ursula said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “The idea of trying to park anywhere close to where you want to actually eat is getting harder and harder.”

KIRO producer Andrew Lanier lives in Edmonds and wouldn’t mind having paid parking in the city because more parking spots could potentially become available.

“I think you only need to charge for street parking when it becomes impossible to park in order to free up spots. If you have to walk four or five blocks for a parking spot, then that’s a problem,” Lanier said. “I’ve never had a problem parking in Edmonds, and I live there. If I knew there was paid street parking, but it meant that I had a guaranteed spot, I wouldn’t have a problem with it.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.