Why should taxpayers within the Regional Transportation District have to pay for free parking for people who live outside the district but use RTD’s park-n-Ride facilities?
It’s not fair for RTD taxpayers to subsidize nonresidents, and thus we support Senate Bill 88 by Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, to let RTD charge for parking by commuters who don’t live in the district.
The question of charging for parking for non-residents wasn’t too important prior to the opening of RTD’s new southeast rail line. But now that the line is up and running, its parking facility at Lincoln Avenue is an attractive place for people who live in Castle Rock but work in downtown Denver to park and catch the rail.
But Castle Rock voters removed themselves from the transportation district in 2005 and thus don’t pay the 1 percent sales tax that underwrites 70 percent of RTD operations. We certainly encourage those non-residents to ride RTD trains or buses, but they should pay the proposed $4 fee to park in taxpayer-provided lots.
For residents of the district, RTD wants to keep parking free for the first 24 hours but charge $2 a day for cars that stay more than a day. That’s a very reasonable fee for long-term parking for residents who may take RTD to the airport or otherwise need to park for several days.
One more provision of the bill, allowing RTD to set aside no more than 15 percent in crowded lots for reserved parking, should be used cautiously. It would allow commuters to assure themselves of a parking spot in return for paying a modest fee. Any reserved spots not filled by 10 a.m. would then be available to any resident as free parking. On this limited basis, reserved parking could actually boost RTD ridership.
RTD needs to be very careful, however, that it doesn’t price out potential commuters. So far, parking in the southeast lots has been generally ample as commuters adjust their habits to the opening of a new line. Also, new RTD circulator buses have encouraged some commuters to take the bus to the rail line.
On a different note, we congratulate RTD and the transit workers union on a new agreement that allows guards who provide security on light-rail trains to also act as fare inspectors. The agreement allows RTD to eliminate by attrition 20 separate fare inspector jobs. The money thus saved will provide $1.20-an-hour raises for up to 288 bus and light-rail mechanical and technical positions. It’s a win-win solution that helps RTD attract qualified mechanics while nearly doubling the number of fare inspectors from 20 to 35.
