I’m working on a piece for tomorrow about experiences parking in downtown Portland.
Yes, it’s a follow-up to this piece. Yes, it involves a towing story or two. And yes, I’ve already gotten a ton of feedback in email, thanks to a Twitter call out earlier today. But I want to include your experiences & thoughts as well as part of the story.
So if you’ve got one to share, please email me: betsy@ourpdx.com. (If you’d prefer to remain anonymous, that’s fine – just let me know how you’d like to be credited when you email.)
Thanks in advance!
And in the meantime — did you know you can pay your parking tickets online? Well, yes you can. And I’d suggest you do so if you have even one outstanding parking ticket ASAP, lest your own car be towed without warning.
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Due to all of the horror stories of meter maids and predatory towing, I try to avoid driving and parking downtown any chance I can get. I’m blessed in that I live near the intersection of two bus lines that quickly and easily take me to two different areas of downtown. I also stock up on books of prepaid bus tickets because I never have exact fare when I need it. The few times I do drive and park downtown are simple and straightforward. I sometimes swing by Powell’s on my way home from work. As crazy as their parking structure is, it’s free (if you buy something), and I’ve had no legal problems there. (The spacial problems of trying to park while avoiding pillars and other cars are a different matter, not to mention the excitement of traversing levels in a manual transmission.) And if I’m going to a fancy event downtown, something that feels a little too formal for the bus, I’ll pay for a space in a SmartPark structure and hoof it from there. Or I’ll skip driving altogether and call for a cab.
I realize that these aren’t horror stories and probably do not help your article much, but I thought I’d share my own personal workarounds for the parking situation in case they’re helpful.
Actually, Brian – you’re making several points for me already & it’s in line with what looks like it’ll be my central theory: people are avoiding downtown Portland due to what appears to be predatory parking enforcement practices by the city of Portland.
And when they have to go downtown, they do what you’re doing: park in structures, take a cab, or use mass transit. But the numbers don’t suggest that mass transit uses go up when parking restrictions go up, do they? No they do not…
I actually find it much easier to park downtown then in many other parts of the city. I have a few blocks of meters that never seem to be full or flat lots that I almost always use depending on where I’m going. The lots are nearly always available and sometimes even cheaper than feeding a meter for a longer period of time.
I find parking in the neighborhoods much more of a hassle – going to Hawthorne, Mississippi, Alberta, Belmont, Sellwood etc. If it’s prime time – a weekend evening for example – I’d much rather try to park downtown than in one of those areas.
Just my 2 cents.
Parking downtown in Portland seems pretty straight forward and fair.
Follow the rules and pay your fines and all should be well.
Have you ever watched Parking Wars? We are lucky to live here.
I work downtown and haven’t heard anyone complain about Portland’s parking authority yet. They seem to do their job fairly.
Parking in San Francisco and even Seattle seems worse than here. Of course, I have parking karma. I can always find a parking spot. I do hate the new meters, though.
NW Portland is one of the hardest places to park (other than around the Schnitz), but there is a really long yellow zone on the same block as my friend’s bar and I’ve parked in it an average of once a week for years, and averaged one parking ticket per year. That works for me. I don’t know why this yellow zone is so long–no hydrant and nearly three car-lengths from the corner.
Since NW Portland residents and business owners are at each other’s throats over parking issues, and since there are so many restaurants in the area, I suggested to Allen Claussen that the entire neighborhood have valet parking. On every block, there would be a valet who took your car, gave you a ticket, and then parked it in a lot down on the north end of the district. It would provide some employment for all the creative class folks who can’t get a job slinging caffeine. Anyway, Allen (he’s the editor of the NW Examiner) printed my idea, but nobody picked up on it.
I don’t have any problems parking downtown unless I’m trying to save a few cents. Only got 1 ticket in the last 10 yrs. Just pay the meter I guess.
Another theory about why people aren’t going downtown as much is the economy. Downtown was always a destination for shopping to the arts or eating out at a restaurant. These days, people don’t have the money to do that as much. That could explain it a little.
Thanks for your feedback, all! I know that Dieselboi doesn’t routinely drive downtown – do you? But I’m curious, Brewcaster – do you also regularly commute by car downtown, or are you traveling via bike?
And for those who work/park downtown – does your company provide parking, or help subsidize your own paid parking?
I’m asking because I’m getting a bunch of feedback from people who do business downtown, but who don’t work downtown and/or have a regular parking solution (paid monthly parking). And their perceptions are markedly different. Just trying to parse the feedback…!
I take train or bike to work. Anyone driving to work a full 8 hours during the day downtown will be using a lot not street parking. No city could handle all daytime workers with street parking.
We do frequently come downtown on weekends for entertainment. Dinner, movies, concerts, etc…
In those cases we do mostly drive, park on the street if there are available spots, or use a pay and park lot. Again, no issues and have heard no complaints from my peers.
What I have learned from watching Parking Wars, is in those cities there are laws regulating parking and towing. People get towed for a few reasons:
1. A certain money amount or quantity of unpaid parking fines.
2. Violating some of the severe parking rules, such as blocking a sidewalk, or sidewalk ramp, handicap parking without permit, blocking fire hydrants, etc…
What are the laws in Portland? Were you fairly towed in relation to these laws? Terms like “predatory towing” make it sound unjust, but perhaps the person feels it was unjust because it happened to them?
Parking regulated by the city is a system. For that system to work, people must play by the rules. Those who do not seem to me to have a fair chance of playing by the rules before being “removed” from the playing field.
I know that when I use the term “predatory towing” in relation to parking horror stories, I mean something like this Consumerist story: http://consumerist.com/2009/01/help-starbucks-towed-my-car-while-i-was-sipping-a-latte.html
I have had friends in similar situations. They believe they were parked legally, but Sergeant’s comes along and takes their car unjustly. Because they can.
These are the reasons I bus it downtown when I need to go there. As dieselboi mentions, though, due to economy and convenience, I’m finding I spend more time pursuing entertainment and shopping options closer to home in SE. Walking is cheaper than busing, which is cheaper than parking.
That does sound like a bad situation.
But be sure to note, this was an issue with a business and a private lot, this had nothing to do with the City of Portland parking authority. The article is also a year old.
Brewcaster, I visited Philly a few times last year and parked a few times. One thing Philly has that Portland doesn’t is crazy insane undecipherable signage. You’ll have one sign saying parking 8am-10am ok, but right below it a No Parking sign from 9am-9:30 for Street Cleaning M T T (WTF?) and then a 3rd sign below that saying Parking prohibited between 9pm-10am unless with proper permit…..
What I’m saying is that in other cities, sometime it is difficult to know where and when you can park – that is why Parking Wars is so awesome to watch. Portland doesn’t have those issues IMHO. Parking is easy, albeit a little expensive.
Totally. I love Parking Wars. And I am thankful I don’t live in Philly.
I’ve worked downtown at every job I’ve had since moving to Portland in 1996 – for a great deal of that time I took the bus but have since given up on it. I live to the south of downtown – SW to be exact. Although there are great bus lines/Max lines serving some parts of town it isn’t so wonderful from my neck of the woods. If I drive by car – it is a 10 minute commute by bus – closer to 40. Parking is bad but for me it is more about the value of my time. I can always find a place to park – lots and street parking is always available.
Cars are only towed by city parking enforcement if there has been a warrant issued by the circuit court to impound the vehicle. Typically this happens after multiple prior judgements have been ignored.
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