I just published a post at Portlanders for Parking Reform’s blog about changes proposed to the permit program in NW Portland.
NW Portland has been taking innovative steps to manage on-street parking since 2012, but the policy changes really accelerated after the district was denied a request for minimum parking requirements in 2016.
Currently, parking permits in NW Portland cost $180 a year, $120 of which is a surcharge that funds a package of mobility options called the Transportation Wallet. Funding from permits and meters also goes towards, bike parking, infrastructure improvements, data collection, etc. In addition, Zone M permits are progressively priced (2nd costs more than the 1st).
Across town in the Central Eastside Industrial District the price of on-street permits is truly trailblazing. Zone G permits valid from May 2019 through April 2020 currently cost $370 per year. At just over $30 a month, these prices are among the highest I’ve heard of, but they are still less than half the market rate for off-street parking in the district.
The Central Eastside parking benefit district also subsidizes a Transportation Walletwith parking revenue, but the district spends additional revenue on a dubious parking lot circulator shuttle and other questionable programs.
Warts and all, Portland’s parking permit and meter district pilots are innovative and increasingly effective. Parking reformers, consultants, and planners around the country should be paying attention!