Tomorrow is National Parking Day


“Parking” as in turning parking spaces into miniature parks. Here are the Portland locations I am aware of. Let us know if there are more!

SW 5th Ave between Alder and Washington, sponsored by Hotel Monaco and the Trust for Public Lands (4-8pm).

Ace Hotel Portland, 1022 SW Stark St.

Powell’s Books, Couch St. side

Bijou Cafe, 132 SW 3rd Ave

Southpark restaurant, 901 SW Salmon

SE Belmont outside Laughing Planet (from about 10am)


0 responses to “Tomorrow is National Parking Day”

  1. There will be 18 parking spaces turned into “parks” on SW 5th between Washington & Alder. They’ve closed the street down and people can stroll through the parks throughout the day.

    Then from 4 – 8pm they’ve got a bluegrass band, games, bbq, silent auction and beer garden on the street. All the money raised goes to Trust For Public Land, so it’s for a great cause.

  2. Anthony: “How often do we have a “parking” day where we turn public parks into parking lots?”

    Quite often. For instance, any time there is a big event in Waterfront park, you can see quite of few of the vendors/organizers/whoevers cars and trucks parked there. It should be noted that those vehicles park in the park for free, where as when parks take over parking spaces, they have to feed the meter.

  3. Matthew wrote: It should be noted that those vehicles park in the park for free, where as when parks take over parking spaces,

    I believe that the vendor must pay an event fee (or be covered under an existing event fee) to Portland Parks & Rec, so no, their parking is not free.

    Almost always, events that require the closure of streets (i.e. Bridge Pedal) do not pay fees which cover the costs of the traffic control required (mainly overtime costs for Portland Police and PDOT/ODOT employees). So that’s a “hidden subsidy” to these pedestrian/bicyclist groups paid for out of the city/state’s General Fund for their parties.

  4. “I believe that the vendor must pay an event fee (or be covered under an existing event fee) to Portland Parks & Rec, so no, their parking is not free.”

    Okay, I just looked it up: They actually are charged $50.50 per vehicle. (Probably wise, vehicles do a lot of damage to wet grass.)

    “Almost always, events that require the closure of streets (i.e. Bridge Pedal) do not pay fees which cover the costs of the traffic control required (mainly overtime costs for Portland Police and PDOT/ODOT employees). So that’s a “hidden subsidy” to these pedestrian/bicyclist groups paid for out of the city/state’s General Fund for their parties.”

    Providence pays something like $150k to ODOT and the city for that event, (part of the reason for the $35 registration fee.) The Ciclovia in North Portland a few month ago got a grant from some federal agency (health and human services I think, but I could be mistaken) to pay for the police overtime, so technically it was “subsided,” but getting people to get exercise is one of the things that that government agency is into…

  5. Matthew wrote: getting people to get exercise is one of the things that that government agency is into…

    So it is the official policy of the Portland Police Bureau to subsidize the exercise of the public?

    http://www.katu.com/news/local/15658472.html

    http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-32800893_ITM

    When can I expect the Portland Police Bureau to cover my gym membership to the tune of $20,000 per event?

    The last time I checked, I pay taxes to PPB to “serve and protect” me. When I call 9-1-1, I want a cop to show up, not the knowledge that we’re paying for cops to stand around eating Krispy Kremes while a group of runners run on a street instead of one of the dozens of running tracks which I already pay for through taxes.

  6. So it is the official policy of the Portland Police Bureau to subsidize the exercise of the public?

    No, Matthew was referring to Health and Human Services.

    As for reimbursing the police bureau directly for expenses, the “who pays” question is debatable. Large outdoor events date back to the beginning of civilization. To the extent that a city views periodic large outdoor events to be a natural function of civic life, it is not necessarily fair to demand organizers of such events pay the full cost of police overtime, it may be considered by some to be a natural function of the police to be present, or to have a mix of funding sources depending on the nature and scope of the event.

    What any of this has to do with National Parking Day, where event organizers pay the parking costs directly at the meter, is beyond me.

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