Posted on 02/10/2009 3:16:08 PM PST by Watershed
One perk of driving a hybrid vehicle in the city of Los Angeles — free parking — will come to an end next month, under action taken today by the Los Angeles City Council.
Almost a year ago, the council approved an ordinance allowing drivers with a state Clean Air Vehicle decal on their vehicle to park at city meters at no cost. Less than a week after that approval, however, the council moved to reconsider the issue in light of the city's financial problems.
The council unanimously agreed to eliminate free parking for drivers of Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Insight or Ford Escape Hybrid models — a privilege in place for four years — on March 1.
The move could generate an additional $300,000 in parking meter revenue, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.
Hybrid vehicle owners who park at meters during the month of February will be given written notices about the end of free parking.
ROTFL ... the 4 wheel fashion statements are no longer the belle of the ball in LA.
Coin meters in Los Angeles have gone up dramatically in the last two months. Now they go from 8AM to 8PM or 9PM or 10PM.
They are now from 90 seconds for a nickel to 3 minutes for a nickel. And the new meters take credit cards. :(
Next up:
The mileage tax.
Obvioudly the hybrid owners have lived off the largess of everyone else long enough. I mean they’re not really doing anything to earn the honor to park free. Gotta pay your fair share, even though you paid more for your hybid. We’ll have to start taxing you more anyway as you’re not paying enough state gas taxes because you use less gas. You can’t duck taxes just because you’re trying to cut down your personal consumption. We’re the government, we won’t let you. And we’re here to help correct that.
TANSTAFP!
Clunks off the tongue, unlike TANSTAAFL; maybe Germanic or Slavic speakers will like it.
If they were really HOV lanes, my Expedition would qualify, even if I were alone in it.
They need to call them what they are: Crowded Vehicle Lanes.
I’m also much happier living where such things are unknown.
It's called HOT (high occupancy toll). Government types love it because it means you're paying recurring usage fees on something you already paid to build and maintain.
Someday, I will back to Alaska. Sigh.
Shoot, come up this summer and we’ll go kill some fish!
Tepest Fugit.
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