Cities around the world have taken major steps to reduce congestion. We've talked at length about London's use of congestion charging, while the German city of Hamburg is working to ban cars outright. Now, admittedly, neither of these solutions would work in the US, because 'Murica. That doesn't mean there won't be some attempts to regulate bigger vehicles out of US cities. Remarkably, though, this move doesn't appear to come from regulators. Rather, it's the folks that provide the parking.
Market Watch reports on instances in New York City, San Francisco, Boston and Washington, D.C. where parking garages are charging vans, SUVs and other oversize vehicles more for parking. Two garage companies in Manhattan, responsible for about 400 parking garages, are charging $10 to $15 more per day for larger vehicles. Beantown, meanwhile, has garages demanding an extra $40 per day for large vehicles.
"This is an industry where if one company starts offering it at a different price, others will follow," Margot Tohn, CEO of Park It Guides, told MW.
Ostensibly, the extra charge is due the extra size of an SUV or van. That doesn't mean there aren't any critics to this big city move, though.
"It's another way to nickel and dime customers and make a few extra bucks," William Maloney, founder of travel site Feezing.com, told MW. "Most SUVs fit in pretty much the same parking space."
We'd be inclined to agree with Maloney's sentiment - yes, SUVs are big, but unless the parking spots are being redrawn and made smaller, we don't much see the issue. What do you think? Should parking a Range Rover or Ford Explorer cost more than parking a Toyota Camry or BMW 3 Series? What about bigger cars, like a Mercedes-Benz S-Class? Should those drivers be charged more? Have your say in Comments.
Market Watch reports on instances in New York City, San Francisco, Boston and Washington, D.C. where parking garages are charging vans, SUVs and other oversize vehicles more for parking. Two garage companies in Manhattan, responsible for about 400 parking garages, are charging $10 to $15 more per day for larger vehicles. Beantown, meanwhile, has garages demanding an extra $40 per day for large vehicles.
"This is an industry where if one company starts offering it at a different price, others will follow," Margot Tohn, CEO of Park It Guides, told MW.
Ostensibly, the extra charge is due the extra size of an SUV or van. That doesn't mean there aren't any critics to this big city move, though.
"It's another way to nickel and dime customers and make a few extra bucks," William Maloney, founder of travel site Feezing.com, told MW. "Most SUVs fit in pretty much the same parking space."
We'd be inclined to agree with Maloney's sentiment - yes, SUVs are big, but unless the parking spots are being redrawn and made smaller, we don't much see the issue. What do you think? Should parking a Range Rover or Ford Explorer cost more than parking a Toyota Camry or BMW 3 Series? What about bigger cars, like a Mercedes-Benz S-Class? Should those drivers be charged more? Have your say in Comments.
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