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Leave parking to the locals

We have to give credit to Sen. Alan Lowenthal for political gumption. The Long Beach Democrat's latest bill aims to cut down on free parking. And motorists aren't pleased.

Lowenthal's legislation would pressure cities and counties to make parking scarcer by, for example, giving those cities and counties points usable in meeting state limits on greenhouse gas emissions. He says he simply espouses the view, shared by libertarians, that government subsidies and fees should reflect the true cost of a public good. "Free" parking isn't free at all, since somebody paid for it, and it encourages more vehicle trips, more pollution and more congestion.

But that's not how most motorists see it. If this bill becomes law and cities give in to such pressures as the loss of valuable pollution credits, the result will be that drivers won't necessarily drive less and take the bus more, they will just end up searching longer and paying more to park   Read Full Article...