Free Parking is Bad? -- reflection blog



       I had never once thought that there are people in the world arguing against free parking, something that I always there was not enough of. Enter Donald Shoup--distinguished economist, professor, and the author of a hefty book titled The High Cost of Free Parking. According to Shoup, free parking is a menace to society for a number of reasons (enough to fill up a 750 paged-book). For one thing, free parking does not give money back to the developments that are effected by the cars.  Shoup believes being that curbside parking spaces take up a lot of driving space on roads and also provide lots of opportunity for "vehicle musical chairs." Getting rid of free parking would get rid of the curbside cars obstructing the urban aesthetic, improve air quality, and provide money for beautification, local repairs, free Wi-Fi, and other additions to businesses. 
        Though Shoup does make valid points, I could see the absence of free parking being a struggle for people who don't have the money for a parking garage or other alternative. The abolishment of free parking could also potentially lead to an increase in parking violations, if any legal changes similar to Shoup's suggestions were to be established. Interestingly, Shoup does not seem to have hope for his parking dreams to come to fruition...at least not in his lifetime. There are more important things the national, state, and even local governments are focused on. "The subjects we study in academia are hierarchal," Shoup said. "...[W]hat is the lowest class that you can study in local government? That would be parking." 


Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-08-31/why-free-parking-is-bad-according-to-one-ucla-professor 


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