I'm glad to see them increase the price. it is way too low now, and the city ends up subsidizing the price of parking downtown. $15 for special event isn't exorbitant at all.
IMO city should charge non-residents more for parking compared to residents. This is very common in Chicago area where you can get a much reduced parking rate or free if you are a resident of the given municipal.
This would make people who live in Middleton, Fitchburg etc pay their fair share for city services they benefit from but not pay for.
City owned facilities are discounted for residents.
https://www.cookcountyil.gov/parking
And this is for highland park which says it is $35 for residents and $285 for nonresidents.
https://www.pdhp.org/lakefront-parking-decals/
Yeah that’s a funny bit of fiction, no idea why you were downvoted. There are commuter rates at some garages but locals get screwed for one off event parking, too.
Are we going to put tolls to very single street connecting into Madison, including many residential streets? That doesn’t sound practical.
But giving a discount to residents for services provided by the city is a very common practice. Milwaukee has tons of services (like the zoo), that are discounted for residents.
Except the County Zoo is not actively trying to discourage cars. What the zoo does is no different than a resident rate for state park permits.
As for the tolls, it's what NYC is doing/trying to do to discourage drivers in certain areas of the city. Photograph the license plate and mail a bill. In Madison's case, close a few of the roads to cut the implementation cost.
What gave you that idea? It’s all been engineered to specifically serve the interest of personal vehicle owners.
Listing to citizens who’d prefer a different paradigm involves no more engineering.
Same.
[No car? If you live in Madison, you still pay for parking downtown | CapTimes](https://captimes.com/news/government/no-car-if-you-live-in-madison-you-still-pay-for-parking-downtown/article_b02c6189-b923-5366-9b6b-14e286ccf2ed.html)
>“This is not a good thing for the local arts economy in general, and for low-income people. We’ve worked really hard to provide free and low-cost programming while also supporting local artists, musicians and writers, giving them a venue, giving them a way to continue making a living in Madison,” Reese told the Cap Times. “This really handicaps our ability to do that.”
Sorry, I could be inclined to support some of my tax dollars subsidizing the 'local arts economy,' but absolutely not in the form of encouraging more driving through subsidized parking.
That’s very generous of you! I wish our state would use your taxes to subsidize the arts. Unfortunately, that’s never going to happen. WI is dead last in the US for arts funding.
The “local arts economy” is a very real thing in Madison and generates tens of millions for local businesses. It’s not just about big concerts and major sports events. There are a lot of arts orgs that count on people having affordable access to downtown - their patrons will be directly affected by this increase.
Fortunately, I think the price near Overture (Henry St) is only going up by $2, not double like it is at other garages. I hope this compromise helps keep ticket sales strong for those orgs.
Double for Breese Stevens ramp, $2 increase for the Overture ramp and some of the others at the Capitol? Across the board increases may have been better for event parking.
This is a reasonable change. Increasing parking cost is one of the tools the City has to decrease traffic congestion as commuters will seek options such as carpooling, walking, biking, etc.
An 87% increase from $8 to $15 is a reasonable change? Last time I checked, that would be considered extreme. Our friends over at Ticketmaster commend you on the effort to spin this in a positive fashion.
Super funny comment.
[This document](https://madison.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=12983331&GUID=B8E96824-E9DB-451B-8D4A-86575DF1438B) that the City, tried to use as their justification, is some Ticketmaster level bullshit.
The City, arguing that they need to remain competitive, by arguing for $15 to $40 parking PER EVENT is crazy.
The parking garages by Fiserv Forum in MKE cost $40 and $45 during event.
The lucky building charges $25 or $20.
I'm sorry to say it but I think many of you would be surprised at how expensive every other lot in the downtown area is compared to $15. $15 is low for events around Kohl center and Breese.
I could see a two dollar increase (25%) to $10 as reasonable, but bumping it from $8 to $15 is rather extreme. Shows at the Sylvee are already priced insanely with all the additional Ticketmaster service fees. Now $15 will be tacked on to every show if you want to park close to the venue. I can see more of those pop-up parking vendors emerging in the area that will try to undercut the $15 fee on larger events.
There are no parking lots over by the Sylvee that could be used for pop-up parking.
Over by the Kohl Center, sure, you've got GHC's giant surface lot which works fine since it's a private business that is usually closed during events.
Over by the Sylvee the only parking lots are Festival and MG&E. Festival needs parking for its customers, so that's a no, and I don't think MG&E is willing to open their lots to the public or they would have done it already.
This is not true. There is now a parking garage behind and to the left of Indigo. But the last time I drove by their special event sign read $25.
So if everyone else is doing $20+, the city is still cheaper then those
> Shows at the Sylvee are already priced insanely with all the additional Ticketmaster service fees.
You can avoid fees by buying the tickets at the window.
> Now $15 will be tacked on to every show if you want to park close to the venue.
You choose to drive and park there. Ride a bike. Walk. Take the bus there and a cab back. Carpool. Anything.
I love the convenience of the ramp near the Sylvee and the event payments have been nice. The jump is big but it's less than the $25 you get charged in Milwaukee for event stuff.
Jesus Christ this whole issue is doublespeak bullshit.
> Cox with the city said she didn’t know there was any pushback to the resolution until the day before the meeting. She’ agreed the communication on the proposal could have been handled better.
>
> “The conversation really grew more than we thought it was going to. I think there are some improvements, though, that can be made when we’re looking at doing any changes in the future,” Cox said. “This is a little bit of new territory for us.”
Stephanie Cox, City Parking Manager, didn't know that there was going to be push back on this?
Fucking LOL.
The rate increase got shot down last year, and they snuck this rate increase in after graduation, and while the students, and most of the Athletic Department events, are done until fall.
> Cox acknowledged that the rate change could “negatively impact certain groups,” but contended the city is looking to minimize that burden by making Madison less car-dependent. She listed bus rapid transit, bike-sharing programs, bike lane improvements and affordable housing in high-frequency transit areas as examples.
Not to mention it is targeting the Sylvee, and the State Street lot, for this almost doubling rate.
Why is the Farmers Market being excluded, from this special event parking, bullshit. Music and Soccer Fans at the Sylvee lot, get screwed, but hoity toity Famers Market attendee's get to park for a discounted rate.
[Here was the "proposal" and their justifications](https://madison.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=12983331&GUID=B8E96824-E9DB-451B-8D4A-86575DF1438B)
And a choice quote from the above document:
> While rate changes could negatively impact those experiencing financial hardship, the City, through other efforts
> (implementing BRT, bike share, bike lane improvements, affordable housing in high-frequency transit areas), is
> working towards lessening car dependency and investing in all modes of transportation.
And there are plenty of these people in these comments saying the same thing.
Poor people, you need to either take a Bus, or Bike. Disabled people you just need to suck it up or Carpool (fuck you, disabled people is quite the take, even for the City and for these people here in the comment section)
Here's what got passed:
https://madison.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=12979118&GUID=FAE78E6D-AA80-49DB-A790-ADEDCCB27187
This being snuck in, this past weeks agenda, is quite the fuckery.
Here's the [current list](https://www.cityofmadison.com/parking/special-events?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR125Coy0TtkASxkYaKbdsHCYvwzaQPyrkyzTajZC6XI8Oniqi4TrAoYwGg_aem_AfpqBxIAHDIK-cPHo9YY83tRsY867UbgXIa0f5GJHQZDJqvO661BBqTuvIg_MoyHxTDm2WDQKFQ7CIiRPCNlidJE) that the City designates as triggering special rate bullshit.
Not to mention all the extra bullshit the City and County pulled with the Car Registration Wheel Taxes.
$28 County Wheel Tax
&
$40 City Wheel Tax
Do we need better buses and infustuctre support and development, YES! Absolutely!
But doing it by targeting UW events and Sylvee events, is bullshit, and sneaking it in while UW is on break and not letting people know about this drastic rate increase is bullshit and fuckery all around.
And you people telling poor people and the disabled, to just take the fucking bus, or bike, is insulting and insufferable. The poor and disabled should be able to enjoy events without having to take a hour or 2 bus ride or bike ride, and telling the disabled to rideshare or bike, is comically cruel and bullshit.
Don't tell me its about budgeting when the Capitol North, Wilson Street, State Street, and Overture Center garages are getting better rates, and Farmers Market or other Downtown events are excluded because, reasons.
As a poor and disabled person, it’s the lack of timely public transportation keeping me from going to events downtown, not the lack of cheap parking. lol
I agree.
That is not what the Council did here.
They targeted specific parking garages, during certain events, for rate increases that with FAIR & honest debate, got thoroughly rejected.
This is still subsidizing the hoity toity, and with the added bonus of our City Council and the Parking Manager, being deceptive & manipulative.
But I guess you and this sub are fine with that.
I'm going to have to think about this. I've been a supporter of the MMOA art fair for many years with the goal to buy at least one piece a yesr. However in recent years the quality just seems to have decreased, prices have gone way up (largely from the prices the artists are being charged for a spot) and many of those I once patronized have stopped coming. Several have told me that they just don't sell enough in Madison to justify the rising costs. As a result, I haven't bought anything for a couple of years now.
With this increase in parking , I might just save my money for the Port Clinton fair. Great job Madison in killing an event that used to bring people in.
Oof. No thanks. I already basically avoid downtown because parking is a pain. The more annoying you make it to get to something, the less likely I am to bother, but that should go without saying.
Good. Make it $30
It's really disheartening to see alders that I thought were progressive oppose progressive policies like this. Poor people don't drive to special events and pay to park their cars. Every parking space affected by this increase is well served by public transportation.
If availability of disabled street parking is a concern, they can add disabled street parking spaces. Duh
"Poor people don't drive to special events and pay to park their cars."
What are you basing this on? I've been pretty flat broke in my life and driven to events.
I don't completely agree because having adequate and affordable parking is a way of encouraging people to patronize downtown businesses. I'm somewhere in the middle on this one.
We need a variety of ways people can get downtown and spend money. Some of those people are going to be in cars, especially if they're shopping at the farmer's market or coming from out of town. Making things workable for them will encourage return business. Make it an ordeal, and they won't come back as often, or at all.
That's a really good take, but this isn't about normal business and normal parking rates. It's specifically for special events when demand is already huge.
That is literally how it works now. It's how it has worked for as long as I can even remember. It's also the entirety of what the article is talking about.
You've clearly never had to rely on public transit or actually used the park and ride. Madison public transit is awful for pretty much anything other than a business hours work commute. Best case is a bus shows up once an hour, and the park and ride closest to me has nothing to get downtown or home after 5:30pm.
With all the new bus routes, half of them still don't run on weekends. Beyond that, service is still awful after after 5-7pm, depending on the route. Terrible for trying to enjoy special events which are mostly at night, or even just enjoying madison night life using public transit.
I agree it could be better. But, thankfully, the new routes have been designed to increase ridership and the more frequent 15 min schedule long overdue. Hopefully as the city grows and usage goes up it means we get later, more thorough coverage. Got to start somewhere!
Doesn’t matter if parking space is well served by public transportation if where one is coming from is not. People do not teleport to buses from their houses.
And even if it is local it still may not be convenient. For example there's a bus stop two blocks from my house however to get from my house to the sylvee requires two different buses with a transfer and requires me to leave at least one and a half hours prior to needing to be at the event assuming that all the buses are on time.
Dedicating three to four hours for public transportation is not convenient nor is it reasonable.
Exactly. Even those who live in Middleton, Fitchburg, Sun Prairie, etc., with limited Metro service are screwed if they're trying to attend an evening event, especially on the weekend.
Metro needs more park and rides -- perhaps at the terminuses of their routes, perhaps at Hilldale -- and connect to high frequency service.
Or, you're saying that Middleton, Fitchburg, Sun Prairie need better Metro service.
I tried taking a bus to downtown once and was worried about my car getting towed while parking in a strip mall across the street the entire time since there was no dedicated parking for that transit terminal… I never tried the metro after that.
To get from my house to the sylvee requires two different buses with a transfer in between meaning I would have to leave more than an hour and a half prior to the event to get there on time via public transportation. That is not reasonable.
That's even less convenient. lmao. Also the bus isn't cheap. I have 3 kids, if I'm taking them to a free show at the art lit lab, that's $16 in bus fare.
The real question is how much is your time worth to you? A city shouldn't really be concerned with how valuable your specific time is.
In this case, it should be concerned with how much people are willing to pay for parking at certain times at certain locations to maintain a certain consistency of parking availability.
It's up to you to decide if those higher parking costs are worth you parking that much closer during events.
You are so unbelievably uneducated about the public transportation issues in madison. For me to take a bus from my house to the Sylvee where the Livingston ramp is located is an almost 2 hour Trek even though I live less than 5 miles from the Sylvee.
To tell somebody they should dedicate 4 hours to transportation on a bus versus literally less than 20 minutes there and back by car is absolutely ridiculous and not reasonable.
Poor people, as in can't even afford a car. Having a car and parking are privileges that come with costs.
Those costs are not nearly high enough for a city like Madison
There are plenty of people who live out of their vehicles and have almost nothing else to their names, are they not poor enough for you?
\*sidenote, finding a safe and legal place in the Madison area to park long term for people living out of their cars is nearly impossible.
The answer here is: ride a bike.
With poor transit options and a relatively short distance, you’re much better off biking to the event, parking for free and getting there way sooner than you would by Madison bus.
I take the bus every once in a while, including to events where I'm drinking. It's never been an issue because I know how to plan ahead.
I never said you *have* to do anything. You can always spend more money for the privilege of parking. I did not expect such a car brain response here...
You insinuating that others don't know how to plan ahead is pedantic. Having to dedicate 3 to 4 hours for public transportation is not always possible nor is it reasonable.
There is free 2 hour parking blocks from the capitol there is not free 6-hour parking if you're going to an event.
I work on Livingston within a stone's throw from that ramp and I can assure you there is no free parking longer than 2 hours during the daytime anywhere near that ramp.
I watch people get ticketed and or towed almost on a daily basis.
Yeah $30 would probably be too much. Increasing these prices too much is going to keep drivers away and lower local tourism. Even Milwaukee doesn't cost $30 for special event parking usually.
Depends on the event. [Summerfest parking is $30-$40](https://store.summerfest.com/06222024-preferred-lot-p-parking-day-3)
But thankfully the Hop’s [new L-line](https://thehopmke.com/l-line/) just opened and that takes you to the Summerfest grounds for free on the streetcar. That will undoubtedly be jam packed this year.
> Increasing these prices too much is going to keep drivers away and lower local tourism.
The standard boogeyman that gets proven untrue in every single form that it surfaces. Taking away street parking doesn't hurt, and often helps, businesses on a street, as the biggest example.
Absolutely none of the townies are going to just *not* go to their badger games if parking was $30 or even $40 instead of whatever obscenely low price it is now where they choose to park.
Yeah this isn't street parking though. This is dense high volume multilevel parking. It's a different topic. There is a point when people call it off on every pricing structure, and $30 would likely start harming city revenue as people try to start to avoid using the special event parking. You want the city to maximize their parking revenue, not to charge as much as possible.
There is nuance to these topics that you can't just avoid by calling the core issue a Boogeyman.
This is such a great example of why people not from Madison hate us. Sure! Make it $50! Then don't be surprised when everywhere else in the State says, "That seems like a YOU problem," when Madison's finances are concerned.
And I just have to laugh: I was poor for most of my 20s, and I sure took a car downtown to events.
In situations like this, you make fewer people want to come to the downtown on these nights. And sounds like you don't care about that. But I'm also going to bet your job has nothing to do with people coming in under those circumstances.
Read the article not just the headline. And also read the headlines better. This isn't about adding parking it's about the doubling the price of existing ramps.
I'm glad to see them increase the price. it is way too low now, and the city ends up subsidizing the price of parking downtown. $15 for special event isn't exorbitant at all.
IMO city should charge non-residents more for parking compared to residents. This is very common in Chicago area where you can get a much reduced parking rate or free if you are a resident of the given municipal. This would make people who live in Middleton, Fitchburg etc pay their fair share for city services they benefit from but not pay for.
I’ve lived in Chicago and no garages downtown and by venues are not cheaper for residents
City owned facilities are discounted for residents. https://www.cookcountyil.gov/parking And this is for highland park which says it is $35 for residents and $285 for nonresidents. https://www.pdhp.org/lakefront-parking-decals/
Yeah that’s a funny bit of fiction, no idea why you were downvoted. There are commuter rates at some garages but locals get screwed for one off event parking, too.
https://www.cookcountyil.gov/parking https://www.pdhp.org/lakefront-parking-decals/
Neither of those links are relevant.
Yeah sure… Rates Resident Lakefront Parking Decal: $35 Non-resident Lakefront Parking Decal: $285
Right… for highland park. Not Chicago.
Wouldn't that insentivise the people who have the most options to *drive*?? Why not just put electronic tolls at all the entrances to Madison?
Are we going to put tolls to very single street connecting into Madison, including many residential streets? That doesn’t sound practical. But giving a discount to residents for services provided by the city is a very common practice. Milwaukee has tons of services (like the zoo), that are discounted for residents.
Except the County Zoo is not actively trying to discourage cars. What the zoo does is no different than a resident rate for state park permits. As for the tolls, it's what NYC is doing/trying to do to discourage drivers in certain areas of the city. Photograph the license plate and mail a bill. In Madison's case, close a few of the roads to cut the implementation cost.
+1 for Madison isthmus congestion pricing!
It’s not the government’s job to social engineer. It’s the government’s job to provide services to its citizens.
What gave you that idea? It’s all been engineered to specifically serve the interest of personal vehicle owners. Listing to citizens who’d prefer a different paradigm involves no more engineering.
Cannot believe you got Downvoted
One of the reasons people want to move to Madison is because we're not Milwaukee or Chicago.
Same. [No car? If you live in Madison, you still pay for parking downtown | CapTimes](https://captimes.com/news/government/no-car-if-you-live-in-madison-you-still-pay-for-parking-downtown/article_b02c6189-b923-5366-9b6b-14e286ccf2ed.html)
Parking in Madison is so cheap this is probably overdue
Do you park there every day??
>“This is not a good thing for the local arts economy in general, and for low-income people. We’ve worked really hard to provide free and low-cost programming while also supporting local artists, musicians and writers, giving them a venue, giving them a way to continue making a living in Madison,” Reese told the Cap Times. “This really handicaps our ability to do that.” Sorry, I could be inclined to support some of my tax dollars subsidizing the 'local arts economy,' but absolutely not in the form of encouraging more driving through subsidized parking.
That’s very generous of you! I wish our state would use your taxes to subsidize the arts. Unfortunately, that’s never going to happen. WI is dead last in the US for arts funding. The “local arts economy” is a very real thing in Madison and generates tens of millions for local businesses. It’s not just about big concerts and major sports events. There are a lot of arts orgs that count on people having affordable access to downtown - their patrons will be directly affected by this increase. Fortunately, I think the price near Overture (Henry St) is only going up by $2, not double like it is at other garages. I hope this compromise helps keep ticket sales strong for those orgs.
Double for Breese Stevens ramp, $2 increase for the Overture ramp and some of the others at the Capitol? Across the board increases may have been better for event parking.
This is a reasonable change. Increasing parking cost is one of the tools the City has to decrease traffic congestion as commuters will seek options such as carpooling, walking, biking, etc.
An 87% increase from $8 to $15 is a reasonable change? Last time I checked, that would be considered extreme. Our friends over at Ticketmaster commend you on the effort to spin this in a positive fashion.
Super funny comment. [This document](https://madison.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=12983331&GUID=B8E96824-E9DB-451B-8D4A-86575DF1438B) that the City, tried to use as their justification, is some Ticketmaster level bullshit. The City, arguing that they need to remain competitive, by arguing for $15 to $40 parking PER EVENT is crazy.
The parking garages by Fiserv Forum in MKE cost $40 and $45 during event. The lucky building charges $25 or $20. I'm sorry to say it but I think many of you would be surprised at how expensive every other lot in the downtown area is compared to $15. $15 is low for events around Kohl center and Breese.
I could see a two dollar increase (25%) to $10 as reasonable, but bumping it from $8 to $15 is rather extreme. Shows at the Sylvee are already priced insanely with all the additional Ticketmaster service fees. Now $15 will be tacked on to every show if you want to park close to the venue. I can see more of those pop-up parking vendors emerging in the area that will try to undercut the $15 fee on larger events.
There are no parking lots over by the Sylvee that could be used for pop-up parking. Over by the Kohl Center, sure, you've got GHC's giant surface lot which works fine since it's a private business that is usually closed during events. Over by the Sylvee the only parking lots are Festival and MG&E. Festival needs parking for its customers, so that's a no, and I don't think MG&E is willing to open their lots to the public or they would have done it already.
This is not true. There is now a parking garage behind and to the left of Indigo. But the last time I drove by their special event sign read $25. So if everyone else is doing $20+, the city is still cheaper then those
Never underestimate the power of free market capitalism.
> Shows at the Sylvee are already priced insanely with all the additional Ticketmaster service fees. You can avoid fees by buying the tickets at the window. > Now $15 will be tacked on to every show if you want to park close to the venue. You choose to drive and park there. Ride a bike. Walk. Take the bus there and a cab back. Carpool. Anything.
Where are my Shoupdoggs at?
I love the convenience of the ramp near the Sylvee and the event payments have been nice. The jump is big but it's less than the $25 you get charged in Milwaukee for event stuff.
Jesus Christ this whole issue is doublespeak bullshit. > Cox with the city said she didn’t know there was any pushback to the resolution until the day before the meeting. She’ agreed the communication on the proposal could have been handled better. > > “The conversation really grew more than we thought it was going to. I think there are some improvements, though, that can be made when we’re looking at doing any changes in the future,” Cox said. “This is a little bit of new territory for us.” Stephanie Cox, City Parking Manager, didn't know that there was going to be push back on this? Fucking LOL. The rate increase got shot down last year, and they snuck this rate increase in after graduation, and while the students, and most of the Athletic Department events, are done until fall. > Cox acknowledged that the rate change could “negatively impact certain groups,” but contended the city is looking to minimize that burden by making Madison less car-dependent. She listed bus rapid transit, bike-sharing programs, bike lane improvements and affordable housing in high-frequency transit areas as examples. Not to mention it is targeting the Sylvee, and the State Street lot, for this almost doubling rate. Why is the Farmers Market being excluded, from this special event parking, bullshit. Music and Soccer Fans at the Sylvee lot, get screwed, but hoity toity Famers Market attendee's get to park for a discounted rate. [Here was the "proposal" and their justifications](https://madison.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=12983331&GUID=B8E96824-E9DB-451B-8D4A-86575DF1438B) And a choice quote from the above document: > While rate changes could negatively impact those experiencing financial hardship, the City, through other efforts > (implementing BRT, bike share, bike lane improvements, affordable housing in high-frequency transit areas), is > working towards lessening car dependency and investing in all modes of transportation. And there are plenty of these people in these comments saying the same thing. Poor people, you need to either take a Bus, or Bike. Disabled people you just need to suck it up or Carpool (fuck you, disabled people is quite the take, even for the City and for these people here in the comment section) Here's what got passed: https://madison.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=12979118&GUID=FAE78E6D-AA80-49DB-A790-ADEDCCB27187 This being snuck in, this past weeks agenda, is quite the fuckery. Here's the [current list](https://www.cityofmadison.com/parking/special-events?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR125Coy0TtkASxkYaKbdsHCYvwzaQPyrkyzTajZC6XI8Oniqi4TrAoYwGg_aem_AfpqBxIAHDIK-cPHo9YY83tRsY867UbgXIa0f5GJHQZDJqvO661BBqTuvIg_MoyHxTDm2WDQKFQ7CIiRPCNlidJE) that the City designates as triggering special rate bullshit. Not to mention all the extra bullshit the City and County pulled with the Car Registration Wheel Taxes. $28 County Wheel Tax & $40 City Wheel Tax Do we need better buses and infustuctre support and development, YES! Absolutely! But doing it by targeting UW events and Sylvee events, is bullshit, and sneaking it in while UW is on break and not letting people know about this drastic rate increase is bullshit and fuckery all around. And you people telling poor people and the disabled, to just take the fucking bus, or bike, is insulting and insufferable. The poor and disabled should be able to enjoy events without having to take a hour or 2 bus ride or bike ride, and telling the disabled to rideshare or bike, is comically cruel and bullshit. Don't tell me its about budgeting when the Capitol North, Wilson Street, State Street, and Overture Center garages are getting better rates, and Farmers Market or other Downtown events are excluded because, reasons.
As a poor and disabled person, it’s the lack of timely public transportation keeping me from going to events downtown, not the lack of cheap parking. lol
People should pay fair rates for parking so others don't subsidize the "hoity toity" to park.
I agree. That is not what the Council did here. They targeted specific parking garages, during certain events, for rate increases that with FAIR & honest debate, got thoroughly rejected. This is still subsidizing the hoity toity, and with the added bonus of our City Council and the Parking Manager, being deceptive & manipulative. But I guess you and this sub are fine with that.
I'm going to have to think about this. I've been a supporter of the MMOA art fair for many years with the goal to buy at least one piece a yesr. However in recent years the quality just seems to have decreased, prices have gone way up (largely from the prices the artists are being charged for a spot) and many of those I once patronized have stopped coming. Several have told me that they just don't sell enough in Madison to justify the rising costs. As a result, I haven't bought anything for a couple of years now. With this increase in parking , I might just save my money for the Port Clinton fair. Great job Madison in killing an event that used to bring people in.
Oof. No thanks. I already basically avoid downtown because parking is a pain. The more annoying you make it to get to something, the less likely I am to bother, but that should go without saying.
parking downtown is an absolute breeze lol
Good. Make it $30 It's really disheartening to see alders that I thought were progressive oppose progressive policies like this. Poor people don't drive to special events and pay to park their cars. Every parking space affected by this increase is well served by public transportation. If availability of disabled street parking is a concern, they can add disabled street parking spaces. Duh
"Poor people don't drive to special events and pay to park their cars." What are you basing this on? I've been pretty flat broke in my life and driven to events.
Poor people don't have cars
Extremely poor people don't have cars and use public transportation. Parking for free and walking are an option, also park and take the bus
Extremely poor people don't buy tickets to events like that in the first place
Yes that's part of what I said. I guess I triggered some people who don't want to admit that parking is a privilege and should cost more
I don't completely agree because having adequate and affordable parking is a way of encouraging people to patronize downtown businesses. I'm somewhere in the middle on this one. We need a variety of ways people can get downtown and spend money. Some of those people are going to be in cars, especially if they're shopping at the farmer's market or coming from out of town. Making things workable for them will encourage return business. Make it an ordeal, and they won't come back as often, or at all.
That's a really good take, but this isn't about normal business and normal parking rates. It's specifically for special events when demand is already huge.
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That is literally how it works now. It's how it has worked for as long as I can even remember. It's also the entirety of what the article is talking about.
This is such an uninformed take
You've clearly never had to rely on public transit or actually used the park and ride. Madison public transit is awful for pretty much anything other than a business hours work commute. Best case is a bus shows up once an hour, and the park and ride closest to me has nothing to get downtown or home after 5:30pm.
With the new bus routes implemented last summer, all routes are on at least a half hour schedule and many are 15 minutes all day.
With all the new bus routes, half of them still don't run on weekends. Beyond that, service is still awful after after 5-7pm, depending on the route. Terrible for trying to enjoy special events which are mostly at night, or even just enjoying madison night life using public transit.
I agree it could be better. But, thankfully, the new routes have been designed to increase ridership and the more frequent 15 min schedule long overdue. Hopefully as the city grows and usage goes up it means we get later, more thorough coverage. Got to start somewhere!
Doesn’t matter if parking space is well served by public transportation if where one is coming from is not. People do not teleport to buses from their houses.
And even if it is local it still may not be convenient. For example there's a bus stop two blocks from my house however to get from my house to the sylvee requires two different buses with a transfer and requires me to leave at least one and a half hours prior to needing to be at the event assuming that all the buses are on time. Dedicating three to four hours for public transportation is not convenient nor is it reasonable.
Exactly. Even those who live in Middleton, Fitchburg, Sun Prairie, etc., with limited Metro service are screwed if they're trying to attend an evening event, especially on the weekend.
Metro needs more park and rides -- perhaps at the terminuses of their routes, perhaps at Hilldale -- and connect to high frequency service. Or, you're saying that Middleton, Fitchburg, Sun Prairie need better Metro service.
Better service. The last bus passes our stop at 7 PM on weekends.
I tried taking a bus to downtown once and was worried about my car getting towed while parking in a strip mall across the street the entire time since there was no dedicated parking for that transit terminal… I never tried the metro after that.
Agreed. However everyone that has a bus stop in front of their home should take the bus. 🤓
To get from my house to the sylvee requires two different buses with a transfer in between meaning I would have to leave more than an hour and a half prior to the event to get there on time via public transportation. That is not reasonable.
If you're driving, you could drive part way and leave your vehicle on any free street parking near a bus route that does get right to Sylvee.
That's even less convenient. lmao. Also the bus isn't cheap. I have 3 kids, if I'm taking them to a free show at the art lit lab, that's $16 in bus fare.
If cost is a concern, park for free and ride the bus. It's not rocket science
Making sure the bus runs late enough is a bigger concern.
Proper planning costs nothing. You can always park farther away and walk.
Why stop there? Why not walk the whole 10 miles each way? Apparently my time means nothing to you.
The real question is how much is your time worth to you? A city shouldn't really be concerned with how valuable your specific time is. In this case, it should be concerned with how much people are willing to pay for parking at certain times at certain locations to maintain a certain consistency of parking availability. It's up to you to decide if those higher parking costs are worth you parking that much closer during events.
You are so unbelievably uneducated about the public transportation issues in madison. For me to take a bus from my house to the Sylvee where the Livingston ramp is located is an almost 2 hour Trek even though I live less than 5 miles from the Sylvee. To tell somebody they should dedicate 4 hours to transportation on a bus versus literally less than 20 minutes there and back by car is absolutely ridiculous and not reasonable.
Also, cite your sources that poor people don't drive to an event and Park.
Poor people, as in can't even afford a car. Having a car and parking are privileges that come with costs. Those costs are not nearly high enough for a city like Madison
So people are only poor if they can't afford a car?
No, but owning a car is a sign that you're not destitute. Parking is a privilege, and it should cost more when there are so many other options
Oh now you're moving the goal post from poor to destitute. Got it.
There are plenty of people who live out of their vehicles and have almost nothing else to their names, are they not poor enough for you? \*sidenote, finding a safe and legal place in the Madison area to park long term for people living out of their cars is nearly impossible.
The answer here is: ride a bike. With poor transit options and a relatively short distance, you’re much better off biking to the event, parking for free and getting there way sooner than you would by Madison bus.
I agree that biking is a good choice however that's not feasible all the time in a state that has winters or rain for that matter.
I take the bus every once in a while, including to events where I'm drinking. It's never been an issue because I know how to plan ahead. I never said you *have* to do anything. You can always spend more money for the privilege of parking. I did not expect such a car brain response here...
You insinuating that others don't know how to plan ahead is pedantic. Having to dedicate 3 to 4 hours for public transportation is not always possible nor is it reasonable.
There is free parking just blocks outside of downtown. Park and ride the bus two stops. Your 4 hour argument is disingenuous
There is free 2 hour parking blocks from the capitol there is not free 6-hour parking if you're going to an event. I work on Livingston within a stone's throw from that ramp and I can assure you there is no free parking longer than 2 hours during the daytime anywhere near that ramp. I watch people get ticketed and or towed almost on a daily basis.
Yeah $30 would probably be too much. Increasing these prices too much is going to keep drivers away and lower local tourism. Even Milwaukee doesn't cost $30 for special event parking usually.
Depends on the event. [Summerfest parking is $30-$40](https://store.summerfest.com/06222024-preferred-lot-p-parking-day-3) But thankfully the Hop’s [new L-line](https://thehopmke.com/l-line/) just opened and that takes you to the Summerfest grounds for free on the streetcar. That will undoubtedly be jam packed this year.
Yeah, hence the usually.
I mean, you’ll easily pay $20 or $25 for Bucks or Brewers game parking too. I generally avoid it entirely and just bike. 🚲
> Increasing these prices too much is going to keep drivers away and lower local tourism. The standard boogeyman that gets proven untrue in every single form that it surfaces. Taking away street parking doesn't hurt, and often helps, businesses on a street, as the biggest example. Absolutely none of the townies are going to just *not* go to their badger games if parking was $30 or even $40 instead of whatever obscenely low price it is now where they choose to park.
Yeah this isn't street parking though. This is dense high volume multilevel parking. It's a different topic. There is a point when people call it off on every pricing structure, and $30 would likely start harming city revenue as people try to start to avoid using the special event parking. You want the city to maximize their parking revenue, not to charge as much as possible. There is nuance to these topics that you can't just avoid by calling the core issue a Boogeyman.
Downtown parking ramps are financial losers compared to the businesses they displace.
Yeah, and so are the other downtown businesses so the point is moot unless you want a walled-off kingdom.
This is such a great example of why people not from Madison hate us. Sure! Make it $50! Then don't be surprised when everywhere else in the State says, "That seems like a YOU problem," when Madison's finances are concerned. And I just have to laugh: I was poor for most of my 20s, and I sure took a car downtown to events. In situations like this, you make fewer people want to come to the downtown on these nights. And sounds like you don't care about that. But I'm also going to bet your job has nothing to do with people coming in under those circumstances.
Booo. Hisss
Ahhhh ok I get it. Instead of building housing they’re building more parking so people can sleep in their cars. Smart.
Read the article not just the headline. And also read the headlines better. This isn't about adding parking it's about the doubling the price of existing ramps.
No
well at least you’re honest about your ignorance!
Hey, more than most people on here.
Troll