Shrug off naysayers, Modesto Council, and finally bring parking meters downtown

Modesto’s backward downtown parking tradition must be reversed.

Before COVID-19, it was hard to find an open spot on the curb, while overpriced parking garages were underused. That’s the exact opposite of how it works in thriving downtowns taking advantage of an 86-year-old innovation known as parking meters.

The pandemic won’t last forever. Now is the time for Modesto to replace free downtown curb parking with smart meters, and to make it easier and cheaper to use parking garages.

If this position sounds familiar, perhaps you were paying attention when consultants tried to convince Modesto leaders of this way back in 2006. Or maybe you remember another set of consultants saying the same thing in 2014. You might recall a third firm telling Modesto leaders in 2019 what they should have grasped long ago — that free street parking and paying to use mostly empty parking garages is just backward and silly.

Or maybe you remember this editorial board making the same points two years ago, urging city leaders to leave the past behind and finally get this done.

If there ever was an example of wheels of government turning ever so slowly, this is it.

Why have Modesto leaders stalled?

In years past, shortsighted merchants more concerned about their profits than the greater good enjoyed too much influence with the City Council. Its members could not muster the political will to follow the experts they had hired with tens of thousands of our tax dollars, both in 2006 and 2014.

The good news: Those officials are gone, and the ones we have now seem open-minded.

Today’s leaders have the added advantage of a forward-looking, recently approved downtown master plan at their fingertips.

“Previous parking studies concluded that downtown has a parking management problem, rather than a parking supply problem,” the document reads. “Better wayfinding and incentive programs may increase the use of parking garages, and a change in pricing for on-street parking will encourage greater turnover.”

Translation: Try meters.

Can opposition be expected? Almost certainly. That’s not a good reason to stay mired in the past.

When parking meters first were introduced in 1935 in Oklahoma City, critics were plentiful. “Indignant opponents of the meters considered paying for parking un-American, as it forced drivers to pay what amounted to a tax on their cars, depriving them of their money without due process of law,” History.com reports.

Poor babies.

It didn’t take long for OKC retailers to see that meters encouraged parking turnover, bringing more customers, and soon meters were in big and midsize cities everywhere. Except downtown Modesto.

More good news: Technology advances make meters much more convenient and easier to use than ever before.

Gone are the days of fishing around in the ashtray for loose change, or even pulling out your credit card — unless those options suit you. Drivers in other cities know how easy it is to pull up any of several parking apps on their smartphones to pay for a slot, or to find one that’s open in real time, or to reserve one at a busy airport.

No more rushing to feed the meter

Many apps let you add time from your restaurant seat, erasing the distressing sight of an expired meter ticket on your windshield — similar to a $52 Modesto parking ticket should you return a few minutes late to your vehicle in a one- or two-hour spot. Some offer deep discounts because they’ve bought up blocks of garage spots at lower rates and simply pass savings on to customers. If you forget where you parked, an app can guide you back to your vehicle.

Staff in some cities even adjust rates at any time on any block, depending on demand, including lowering to as little as 25 cents per hour when competing traffic is light. Some cities reserve spots for electric cars, and install charging stations. We should, too.

The timing is perfect. With fewer drivers and cars downtown because of the pandemic, City Hall could work out any bugs before downtown streets get busy again — which they surely will.

Can Modesto afford all this?

Yes. Because every option listed by transportation consulting firm Siegman & Associates in Modesto’s downtown master plan envisions parking revenue covering costs. It pays for itself.

Our seven-person Modesto City Council has had a full plate since it welcomed four new members nearly a year ago. They have made good progress in several areas, from homeless housing options and welcoming a new police chief to starting work on police reform and a revamped general plan. And city-sponsored downtown improvements — angled parking replacing parallel parking on some blocks, and parklets inviting outdoor dining, for example — have helped and are appreciated.

In a recent chat, City Manager Joe Lopez said downtown parking is moving up on his lengthy to-do list.

It’s time to take that step — reversing our antiquated, backward parking system with meters while increasing parking garage incentives in downtown Modesto.