Green Dictum - Free Parking
(Hit & run blog)
I thought it was a little presumptuous but who am I to make such a claim? Here’s the story, before I get ahead of myself.
I was watching the news last night and got the low down on the enlightenment of the gubmint of Ontario. Seems they are earmarking some C$650M for eco-friendly vehicle development. A nice move I think.
Then the report continues with interviews and sound bites. And by the way one man, who seemed like a pretty big cheese, voiced what I’ve been saying all along: “we need bigger vehicles, because we still need to take the kids to soccer and we have families and stuff to carry and so forth, but made the emphasis should be on light materials and better fuel efficiency,” and so forth.
I am well pleased with the way this report is going.
Then the sting!
Some moron proposed that Smart cars be allowed to park downtown for free at the parking meters, since… well, since you can fit 3 of these things in a single regular parking spot.
First of all, if you can fit 3 of these in a spot, the spots are obviously painted way too big. I know a Smart is short, but it’s not that short.
Secondly, this would be an incentive to purchase a Smart to commute to the downtown core. I cannot be the only person to think it is ludicrous to encourage the purchase of a Smart for the sole appeal of, presumably, free parking.
And third: free for how long exactly? Until the next bylaw? How stupid do these people think we are? (Do NOT answer that! It was merely rhetorical.)
And my rebuttal? You see this one coming don’t you?
What about instituting free parking for motorcycles? You can pack, at least, three regular motorcycles (ie. not Goldwings) into a spot, for the same passenger capacity and commensurate fuel economy.
Furthermore, you can pack a lot more motocycle traffic per square foot on a street than you can Smarts.
And what about Mini’s?
- Hey jackass, if small is the criteria, then you had better bloody well own up to it!
And somehow, for some reason, I don’t think this will happen.
posted by Steve at 4:56 p.m.
3 Comments:
Sounds like a person ahead of their time; sheer genius. I wonder why Reuters didn't pick up their point? Was this someone with any clout or just a disgruntled meter maid looking for an early buyout?
DS
I suspect he was a dim-witted politician trying to score points with downtown residents.
OB Reuters: my guess is that the free parking comment was from the local outtakes of the TV news, not national.
All this green stuff... Im for it, but if its intelligent & most of what is going on isn't
Take the latest fluro lite promotion.. use fluro bulbs instead of the incandescent (sp?) one. Hydro in Paradise and in GAtineau are even offering great rebates.
But the packaging.. GIANT PLASTIC ENTRAPMENTS. AT least the "other" bulbs were packaged in cardboard that you could dig in the earth & it would compost in 50 years vice the zillion years of plastic.
Maybe we should go back to getting uop with the sun &going to bed not much longer after it sets ( a b*** this far north), and using candles again to read by.
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