Transportation Bureau officials believe increasing prices by 25% will ease congestion.
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Portland Transportation Bureau officials believe increasing parking prices by 25% will ease congestion and make it easier to find a spot.
The City Council will have to approve the proposal that would raise rates to $2/hour.
The increase is projected to free street parking, which officials say is increasingly difficult to come by almost everywhere downtown in the afternoon and after 7 p.m., when parking becomes free.
Drivers end up circling, officials said, increasing congestion and posing a risk to pedestrians. At least one-third of downtown traffic is caused by drivers trying to find parking, they said.
Dylan Rivera, bureau spokesman, said, ideally, drivers would find a free space in every block at any given time. The rate change is expected to lower the “occupancy level,” which hovers above a desired 85 percent.
(READ MORE: OregonLive.com)
Do you agree with their thought process?
RELATED NEWS: Is Oregon Good for Business?; Rail revival; Business groups appeal to lawmakers to ease congestion
