San Carlos to Consider Downtown Parking Meters (again…)
A Love/Hate Relationship.
In what is becoming the latest chapter in an ongoing saga regarding downtown parking meters, the City of San Carlos is now actively looking to hire a consultant to determine whether it makes financial sense to install parking meters downtown — this according to an article by David DeBolt in this morning’s Daily Post. (I would have included a link to this article but the Post does not have an online edition, so I will paraphrase the key points. )
This is certainly a turnabout to the most recent sentiment on parking meters within the San Carlos City Council, which has largely been opposed to installing meters downtown. But according to the article, Public Works Director Robert Weil is prepared to spend $10,000-$20,000 on a study that will investigate whether the installation of meters will bring in enough revenue to justify the cost, if there will be any negative impact on downtown businesses, and what technologies are available today in the world of parking meters.
Just a Study…For Now.
In the Post’s article, Robert Weil was careful to stress that the City is NOT endorsing the installation of parking meters just yet. But they do want to investigate the revenue potential to help offset our budget deficit. An earlier study conducted back in 1999 determined that paid parking could generate about $480,000 each year. With the huge growth of the Laurel Street shopping district, one would think that this number could be much higher?
What do you think?
Should San Carlos join the likes of Redwood City and other neighboring communities who already have parking meters in their downtown shopping districts? Let us know by voting on the poll below, or by leaving a comment.
(Editorial credit to David DeBolt of the Daily Post for the details cited in this article.)












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