http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2012/08/31/with-street-seats-city-turns-public-parking-spots-into-private-cafes Comments On: With "Street Seats," City Turns Public Parking Spots into Private Cafes by Sarah Mirk en-us Copyright 2013 Portland Mercury. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, Portland Mercury readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact Portland Mercury. webmaster@portlandmercury.com (Portland Mercury Webmaster) Sat, 25 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Sat, 25 May 2013 02:15:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss
Let's try this thought experiment: I have a sofa that I don't have room for in my house, but there is plenty of room in that public park over there! I'll just go set it down in the park. I'll store it there when I'm not using it, and I'll put a cover and lock on it so no one else can use it except for me. From time to time, I'll go the park and sit on it. Maybe I'll periodically move it to a different spot. This is all OK, right?

No, it's not OK, because public space is for people, not people's private stuff! You can't store your things in a park, and if you could it would be reasonable to charge you for that privilege. It's the same with cars and parking in the street. This is not a "canard" from the sinister bikeportland lobby, it's just the definition of public space. Again: people, not objects. Your car is a privately-owned object, not a person. By the way, before you accuse me of hypocrisy, I think bikes should be charged for public bike parking too, albeit at a very low rate because they take up so little room and do not cause other externalities the way cars do.
Posted by zefwagner]]> Tue, 04 Sep 2012 19:48:47 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by Chunty McHutchence]]> Tue, 04 Sep 2012 19:29:56 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by Chuck Garabedian]]> Sun, 02 Sep 2012 07:59:19 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by Chuck Garabedian]]> Sun, 02 Sep 2012 07:57:08 -0700 Portland Mercury
I also think the issue of public vs. private is silly because the parking spaces were never public to begin with--they were used for the storage of private cars. Letting a business use it rather than a private car is just a different kind of subsidy, not a new subsidy. If people want the city to charge market rate for the business, the city should also charge market rate to every driver who parks on the street. Also, this article implies that Wafu does not pay the $450 permit fee--that is false, they do have to pay it.
Posted by zefwagner]]> Sat, 01 Sep 2012 17:41:18 -0700 Portland Mercury
For christ's sake, they're not closing streets - they're closing A FEW PARKING SPOTS ON A FAIRLY MINOR ARTERIAL STREET, AND PAYING THE CITY FAIR MARKET VALUE FOR THE LOST PARKING.
Posted by Commenty Colin]]> Sat, 01 Sep 2012 10:26:37 -0700 Portland Mercury I realize this opinion certainly won't be popular in this forum, but hey - I bike too and love parties just as much as the next bloke.
I just don't see why one has to inconvenience others to have a good time - and restricting public parking is an extension of this.
Posted by frankieb]]> Fri, 31 Aug 2012 20:42:09 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by David]]> Fri, 31 Aug 2012 19:49:03 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by Commenty Colin]]> Fri, 31 Aug 2012 16:08:09 -0700 Portland Mercury
Posted by Mike Tyson]]> Fri, 31 Aug 2012 15:57:39 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by ujfoyt]]> Fri, 31 Aug 2012 15:36:36 -0700 Portland Mercury
however,
call me pessimistic and faithless in my fellow drivers (because i am), but, man, them chairs are pretty close to that road -- cars going by at 25 or 30mph (if they're following the law), within mere inches of chair-sitters.

i hope nobody gets a side-view mirror to the head.
Posted by human in training]]> Fri, 31 Aug 2012 14:14:48 -0700 Portland Mercury