The city of Durango is betting that it will nearly double its money on the new parking meters.
Durango’s 2014 budget projects to bring in $1 million, compared with $568,385 in 2013. That doesn’t include revenue from related services or fees, such as parking permits or fines.
Meter prices went from 60 cents on Main Avenue to $1 in January. Side street meters that used to have varied rates are now 75 cents an hour.
Whether revenue from meters reaches city projections partly depends on how people react to the higher rates, which could mean more drivers avoid metered spaces. But at least a two residents on East Third Avenue say they have yet to notice a change in behavior.
“My guess is (city officials) think that parking behavior is not going to change,” said Robert “Tino” Sonora, assistant professor of economics and codirector of the Office of Economic Analysis and Business Research at Fort Lewis College. He also writes columns for The Durango Herald. “Whether parking is 2 cents or 10 cents, they’re still going to park the same amount.”
But that’s a frequent miscalculation, the economist said. Human behavior responds to price.
“I know I’ve changed my behavior because of (the price increase),” he said.
Durango installed 365 credit-card meters and more than 600 meters that take coins and “smart cards.”
Sonora pointed out how crowded downtown was in late December when the parking meters were free. The Herald reported some complaints about the lack of parking on Main Avenue – in part blamed on downtown employees.
“Economic behavior is you raise the price, people are going to park less or people are going to substitute out parking at the parking meters and park somewhere else,” Sonora said. “They’ll park on Third (Avenue) or something and walk.”
Whether others have changed their parking behavior is hard to see from the view of East Third Avenue. Patti Baranowski and Guy Gervais, who live on the street, said the amount of parking is the same: crowded. Both complain about not be able to park in front of their homes.
“I’ve seen nothing changed other than it’s still full,” Baranowski said. “Weekends aren’t as bad.”
Gervais said the street is full of cars from the employees of the La Plata County Courthouse and Durango Police Department.
“I don’t think it’s worse than it’s ever been,” he said. “There’s only a certain capacity here, and it’s been full all the way, so it’s not like it’s any more because there was no room for anyone else anyway.”
There are other modes of transportation, including the buses and trolley system, plus biking or walking, said Amber Blake, Durango multimodal administrator. But she said she wants people to use the meters, but know there are other options out there if they want to change their behavior.
“We would like to see people paying for parking at the meter rather than getting a citation and having to come pay a citation,” Blake said. “It is not viable to tell everyone not to drive their car, and that would be a ridiculous idea.”
smueller@durangoherald.com
