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Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Parking and Transportation: Let the Market Decide

LA City Officials including former goofy Clowncilman and Social Engineer Mike Woo have the goofiest of goofy ideas that is sure to get the NIMBY's panties in a bunch.

They want to allow developers to build high density housing without parking. The idea is that if there is nowhere to park at your place you'll be forced to use public transportation. Yes, there are actually people who come up with this stuff. “The carrot isn’t working (to get people to use public transportation),” says Planning Commissioner Mike Woo, “now it is time for the stick … I want to create a parking crisis that will force people out of their cars.”
"I want to create a parking crisis that will force people out of their cars.”
Mike Woo
Now the libertarian in me says that yes, developers should not be forced to provide parking. And if they didn't, the market will provide. Here's how.

If a development does not provide parking I have to consider the cost to me of living there. I am going to have to 1) take my chances parking on the street and park some distance from my home or 2) pay for a parking spot elsewhere as is done in New York City, or 3) dump my car and take public transit. Any of these choices MIGHT be attractive to me IF it reduces the cost of my monthly rent. On the other hand, I might prefer to rent a home where parking is provided. Either scenario would have to be taken into consideration by a developer much in the same way as the developer deciding to include a swimming pool or a weight room or air conditioning in an apartment development.

When it comes to public transportation those with cars are not avoiding it because they get a free parking place. Its because public transportation in Los Angeles for the most part, well, sucks.

If there was effective and better public transportation (some of which could be provided by private enterprise) more people would use it and get out of their cars.

Silly games like those proposed by goofballs like Woo are hardly the answer.

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32 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said:

This reminds me of the "compact car" spaces we see in every building. The concept was (in theory) to force people to use compact cars by making spaces available ONLY to compact cars. Of course, it was really a way for developers to fulfill their parking requirements in less space.

As we all know, SUVs are parked in "compact" spaces just as often as compact cars are. The carrot/stick didn't work.

This is just another ploy to reduce the cost of development by eliminating VERY expensive non-revenue-generating parking space.

I would hate to live anywhere near one of these developments. Street parking will be a joke.

October 09, 2007 11:37 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

yeah, what an idiot, what about the water, power, traffic, pollution, crime, trash, and gang crises that he's also 'creating'.

October 09, 2007 11:57 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

in re people not using pub transportation cause it sucks:
MTA can't justify adding more bus lines and building rail lines unless people demand it by using existing lines just outside the area where they want it.

Self-perpetuating problems are fun.

October 10, 2007 12:38 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

The alternative to crowded high rise development is urban sprawl.

People will live in crowded high rise conditions if it is near transportation.

That is why every major city in the world (almost) is near a river or sea port. (or near what was a river or sea port)

October 10, 2007 12:49 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

I got a better idea. Lets use this logic bring and shut down the water supply in LA so people are forced to conserve water and eventually they will become less thirsty and stop drinking water or using it for any other purpose.

Sounds like it could work.

October 10, 2007 12:54 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

I have elected not to add additional police officers to the LAPD ranks to force a "gang crisis" this will force Los Angeles residents to approve any and all additional city taxes, which will (wink, wink) be used for the hiring of additional police officers.

October 10, 2007 1:03 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Coward,

Coward,

Coward,

Coward,

Deleting posts with nothing offensive except pointing out your pompous lies and how Kevin Roderick, who thinks zuma is a fool and "gadfly," is the one whom Luke Ford credits with legitimizing HIS story about the Mayor's ring and then g.f. NOT this nasty, mean- spirited white trash copycat blog and its fools filled with the ego that only the really stupid can muster. When you have nothing to say, get nasty and low-class stupid. Like a dull two-year old banging pots to "entertain" the pained guests at his parent's sit-down dinner otherwise filled with intelligent, civil discourse.

Yeah, people tell the annoying kid and the creepy lowlife to go away. It doesn't make them "important."

The last comics of the night at any third-rate comedy store tell dirty stories and make mean comments about people because, well, that's why they're the last act of the night and only a few drunks remain.

Yeah, a few low-rent equivalents of the last three drunks left at the club are big fans of this blog.

Go ahead, coward, delete this again. There are more of us than you and you only wish the 3rd floor was paid to "spin" on this site.

October 10, 2007 2:50 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Hey anonymous at 2:50 AM:

If you don't want to talk about parking zoning or Mike Woo, yeah, I hope your comments are deleted. The one behaving like a two year old is you. So, stop trolling or go away.

October 10, 2007 5:19 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

This is another moronic idea! If anyone lives near any current apartment complexes, they know that even the parking that is now provided is inadequate as most people have more than one car. The overflow parking spills into adjoining residential areas, clogging local streets. Residents in these areas are always battling vehicles parked in front of driveways, struggling to find space to even put out their trash bins on trash day, littering and other problems. We already have a parking crisis in these areas! Yes, let's make LA even more of a third world country, Parking enforcement can't even keep up with the problems we have now.

Mike Woo should be ashamed to spew such idiotic drivel!

October 10, 2007 6:23 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. No developer would go for that. The apartments or condos would be worth nothing and people would end up parking on the street. You couldn't get them rented or sold. As it is a condo or apartment with only one parking space is worth MUCH less.

October 10, 2007 7:47 AM  

Blogger Zuma Dogg said:

2:50am,

are you o.k.? it seems like you are having an incoherent, nervous breakdown. how many people in the world care about this kevin roderdick issue? maybe kevin, himself...but beyond that...

October 10, 2007 8:00 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Illegal Alen Mexicans usually travel 5-6 per car. So they would are doing their part at car-pooling.

Say yes to Mexican Illegal car-pooling!!!

October 10, 2007 8:02 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Maybe Woo thinks he is in China where they ride bicycles.

October 10, 2007 10:34 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

^ ...or rickshaws.

October 10, 2007 10:47 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

$1,000 says Woo drives a nice comfortable car and rides public transportation only for photo ops.

October 10, 2007 10:50 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Did the Mayor Sam's clowncil say they broke the Mirthala story?

That is a big fat lie, an L.A. Daily news repoter is the one who investigated the story by reviewing a weeding guest book and talking to a family grandmother.

Get you facts straight you ego inflated clowns.

October 10, 2007 11:29 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Remember "Sancha watch", dildo ?

October 10, 2007 11:33 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Wet Spot! Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?

October 10, 2007 11:50 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

....Hmmmm, not wet spot, but give me five with your mom, will see.

October 10, 2007 11:55 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Headline of the day?

"Villar Lackey Calls Bloggers Inflated Ego Clowns"

Nah.....

"Pot Calls Kettle Black" is shorter

October 10, 2007 11:57 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Villar passing up a "headline" would qualify as one

October 10, 2007 12:06 PM  

Blogger Red Spot in CD 14 said:

11:29,

Belated good afternoon.

When does one need a "GUEST BOOK" for a "WEEDING PARTY" ? Either to document the "DAY LABOR". Who smoked the "GANGA". Or..., never mind.

October 10, 2007 12:55 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Dear Mayor Sam:

Policy suggestion: Delete any post not on topic. People will learn quickly.

October 10, 2007 2:13 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

I agree with last poster: the ONLY permitted topic here is, "Bash the illegal vertically-challenged Mayor, without calling him a Midget, but call him a cholo Mecha, and be sure to blame everything in the city on him personally. If you are really verbally challenged like Zuma Mutt, just stick to words like Shady and F-k right in your threads." Keeps things simple that way.

October 10, 2007 3:08 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

3:08=U, Mr. Doc DONE Hoff

October 10, 2007 3:10 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Mike Woo: Fuk Yoo!

October 10, 2007 3:41 PM  

Blogger Red Spot in CD 14 said:

3:08,

Bravo, there are no limitations, only possibilities.

October 10, 2007 5:08 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

I think I'll try to buy one of those downtown parking lots, preferably near this project. Then I'll charge 15 an hour.

October 10, 2007 8:03 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

You're not far off the mark. What will happen is landlords will buy up dilapidated properties/ empty lots and charge them out as paid parking. Like in New York, where parking spots can go for a thousand dollars a month but downtown is not built up all over so parking will probably be a few hundred. Charging by the day may not be a bad idea -- maybe people will do like in New York and just rent cars for the weekends, and pay nightly for parking.

That kind of parking hell is why many left New York, but Woo thinks it's glamorous because he grew up in the Chinese enclaves of L A, and never traveled until being a C M. He never had to live with that hell. And N Y has efficient if dirty subways, dense streets where buses makes sense, and car services and a million taxis. Literally apples and oranges.

In L A, condos with no parking or only a compact spot will go for less money so no one will benefit in the long run. Only Sierra Club types would go for it, but they can't afford those condos. Having no parking only works for the hippy types who bicycle or take buses in sneakers, and can't afford the pricey condos in the first place.

But I actually agree with MS on this one: singles may choose a unit with one or no spaces if they save money. But then how do the condo sellers benefit?

October 10, 2007 8:35 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Thanks October 10, 2007 8:35 PM.
At fifteen an hour I could make quite a bit. Then I could double, or triple, decker the lot to accommodate more cars.

Then I'll offer city council a deal by having them give me a hundred million dollars from their new lawsuit settlement tax hike (soon to be proposed) to build another set of condos. They'll pay it because I will say they are for low income people and I'm taking quite a loss in income being so generous. Then I'll build one without parking. I'll rent out the basement space to retailers. Then I'll sell the lots and the condos before the city pulls some eminent domain crap to try to remedy their backfired Woo move.

October 10, 2007 9:18 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

9:18: You could put a pool on the roof of the garage and charge for that, too. Garage-spa-resort. But I'm not for the city paying you to do it, where would the poor live, in their cars or the pool? Shady, shady.

October 10, 2007 9:54 PM  

Blogger Zuma Dogg said:

9:18pm,

there's only one person who could have outlined that scenario so hilariously and shockingly accurate.

October 10, 2007 11:52 PM  

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