San Francisco city employees are about to lose a unique perk come December 2010. Their parking rates will be set at US$80 per month, which is still on the cheap side for this city.
City employees have traditionally been given incentives to drive, thanks to taxpayer-subsidised free parking. That perk comes in the form of free lots, reserved spaces, and placards that prevent the employee’s car from getting a ticket.
About half of city employees (13,500 people) drive to work every day, causing significant traffic jams, air pollution, accidents, and lost revenue.
Employees of San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Muni, one of America’s oldest public transit agencies, will be the first to join private citizens in paying to park at work.
Muni operators are clearly not pleased with the privilege taken away. They claim the new fee amounts to about one-third of the nearly 5.75% raise they just received as mandated by the city charter.
The plan, combined with other austerity measures, will save the city an estimated US$3.5 million a year.