Barbara Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Went for brunch today with SO and an old friend from Boston. No valet parking, so we slipped into a ZipCar spot and almost got towed. Too bad you weren't towed. 1) Zipcar pays the city for those spots; and 2) the person with the Zipcar for that location starts getting charged $50 for getting the car back late, which could easily happen because of thoughtless people who park in those spots and having to find a legal spot somewhere else (lotsa luck) and then contacting zipcar. Never do that again. (Don, move this to a more appropriate thread if you need to.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legant Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 I'm with Barbara on this one. There is a parking lot at the end of the block from Ardeo/Bardeo. Probably within sight of the Zipcar spot you appropriated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sthitch Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Screw towing, what this car needed was a visit from BillyBob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miami Danny Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 I'm not going to argue the alleged merits of Zipcar, but the last time I looked they were not paying for public spaces, only private ones. Either way, you can get ticketed and towed for parking in their spaces, and the fine is similar to parking in a bus stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 DC DOT doesn't get paid for the spaces, but here is their reasoning: DDOT is confident that carsharing parking spaces will reduce the total number of cars in congested neighborhoods and make parking easier for everyone - whether they use carsharing or not. Think about the bus stops in your neighborhood. Cars aren't allowed to park there. But because they make it possible for so many people to use transit and avoid car ownership, bus stops (and the bus service that goes with them) actually free up more parking spaces than they consume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miami Danny Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Zipcar is a for-profit corporation, so the "reasoning" of DDOT is faulty at best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara Posted March 8, 2010 Author Share Posted March 8, 2010 Zipcar is a for-profit corporation, so the "reasoning" of DDOT is faulty at best. As such, Zip Car pays DC taxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miami Danny Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 As such, Zip Car pays DC taxes. My objective in posting was to counter the assertion that Zipcar pays DC for its parking spaces on public property. In fact, the opposite is true-DC gave up meter fees at formerly metered public spaces, and paid for improvements to the spaces, then gave them to Zipcar. Additionally, I'm not a tax accountant, but I'm not sure how one could know that Zipcar pays DC taxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenticket Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 I am totally with Barbara, but ZipCar does need to make sure their spots are clearly marked. A while back, I got a ticket (and successfully fought it) for parking in a ZipCar space near H St, NE. The painted markings on the pavement were completely worn off and the sign indicating the space was reserved for ZipCar was completely turned around, making it look like the space in front of where I parked was the ZipCar spot. I wouldn't have parked there if I had known it was a reserved spot, but it really wasn't obvious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 I understand the premise of zipcars relieving parking icongestion but why do spaces have to be free, especially in light of the fact that it is a for profit company? Why can't zipcar just pass that cost onto their users? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 My understanding is that the city has decided to treat zipcar (and one would hope other car sharing services) as a service to be encouraged. The subsidy of designated parking is similar to designated taxi stands which could otherwise be made available for parking. Jeremy <Plop.> "Someone get a cool washcloth - he's fainted!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheldman Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 People who are priming themselves for displeasure at the "giveaway" of parking spaces to Zipcar might also want to think about driveways (both residential and commercial). Every driveway on a street where parking is allowed is, in a sense, a giveway of a parking space to the person or business that owns that driveway. So there's nothing particularly odd about setting aside a few spaces for car sharing, where so may spaces are set aside for driveways. (When I lived in Dupont Circle I could sometimes find myself starting to steam at the fact that the Scientology building had a semicircular driveway that eliminated not one but two spots. Then I realized that my pet peeves were not a very good basis for making public policy about roadways). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara Posted March 8, 2010 Author Share Posted March 8, 2010 Here's the bio for Gabe Klein, Director of DDOT: http://ddot.dc.gov/DC/DDOT/About+DDOT/Who+We+Are/Director%27s+Biography/Gabe+Klein Note that after he was an exec for Zip Car, he started up On The Fly food carts (just to keep this discussion relevant). Oh, and Arlington was first to provide free spaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deangold Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Why don't we get mad at the City giving the billionaire owners of the Nationals a sweetheart deal on the stadium and then have a lease so shitty that the Learners didn't pay rent for a long time after the park opened because of ticky tack punch list items..... {ducks and runs as National branded bats and balls are thrown his way...} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirite Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Too bad you weren't towed. 1) Zipcar pays the city for those spots; and 2) the person with the Zipcar for that location starts getting charged $50 for getting the car back late, which could easily happen because of thoughtless people who park in those spots and having to find a legal spot somewhere else (lotsa luck) and then contacting zipcar. Never do that again. (Don, move this to a more appropriate thread if you need to.) I promise! I will never do it again. I felt guilty thoroughout the meal. I don't think that I have parked illegally since about 1974 when I lived in LA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giant shrimp Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 I understand the premise of zipcars relieving parking icongestion but why do spaces have to be free, especially in light of the fact that it is a for profit company? Why can't zipcar just pass that cost onto their users? i'm sure they could and would if they had to. as someone who has never owned a car, i like the idea. there are two zip car spaces behind my building. but this is not exactly an inexpensive mode of transportation, unless you are comparing it to taking a cab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 I was just having a knee-jerk reaction to government hand-outs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miami Danny Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 I was just having a knee-jerk reaction to government hand-outs. Coincidentally, Mayor Fenty's new budget proposal contains a provision for Zipcar to pay for their use of public spaces. To the tune of $275,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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