So Far, Higher Parking Fees Not Reducing Denver Traffic

Denver’s efforts to cut back driving and parking within the metropolis’s downtown appear to have little impact, experiences Alayna Alvarez for Axios Denver.

Though “Metropolis leaders stated the charge improve may get Denver nearer to reaching its objective of lowering greenhouse gasoline emissions by 80% by 2050 with fewer drivers on the highway and fewer automobile exhaust within the air,” Alvarez writes that “Parking meter income this 12 months by March greater than doubled to $3.8 million in comparison with the primary quarter of 2021, metropolis transportation division spokesperson Nancy Kuhn tells Axios Denver,” belying the idea that increased charges would deter drivers.

The cash will fund infrastructure initiatives, writes Alvarez: “Half the income might be funneled towards transit, sidewalks, bikeways and avenue security enhancements, whereas the remaining will stream into the town’s common fund.”

Alvarez notes that “Parking violation fines additionally elevated this 12 months to extra carefully align Denver with its peer cities and scale back automobile congestion,” however up to now, “Neither coverage seems to have lowered site visitors on Denver’s roadways.”