Wednesday, July 29, 2009

"Progressive" Oakland Theater Owner Has Hissy Fit over Parking Meter Increase



What an absolute joke this story is...

New parking regulations passed by Oakland's City Council have some local business owners very upset.

Alan Michaan owns the Grand Lake Theatre and said the council has gone way overboard by increasing fines, having meters in effect until 8 p.m. and increasing rates.

He's urging all of the city's business owners to close next Thursday to protest the new regulations.

KCBS

Parking SHOULD be expensive. It's good for the environment, public transit, and the planet. It is also good for business if people can find an open parking spot in front of business they want to shop at. Read Donald Shoup for more on this.

It's amazing how supposedly Green people "talk the talk" about improving the world, but the minute you make it a little harder to park their vehicles for cheap they "drive the drive" like reactionary conservatives.

How about ZERO parking on Grand Avenue?
The street would make a lovely pedestrian mall.

I guess all that opposition to Bush's oil war was just a pose.
Now it's "Save the Cars!"

7 comments:

Oaktown Josh said...

Damn straight.

How can people so car-dependent even be considered environmentalists?

Anonymous said...

Check this out. The Grand Lake's own website directs patrons to Free Parking just across the street, under the freeway.

http://www.renaissancerialto.com/masters/grandl~1/GLparking.htm

Maybe the walk across the street is just too far?

Unknown said...

These so-called progressives could better spend their political energy to get prop 13 rescinded or reformed. State and local governments do not have adequate revenue to operate the services that people like this theater-owner and so-called greens have come to expect. The focus on parking meters is fair, but it is really a last resort for a city like Oakland to find revenue.

Sallycat said...

The Oakland medical cannabis community didn't complain when city voters raised taxes dramatically on them recently to help get the City of Oakland get through this recession.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=8159777&page=1

You would think that the "progressive" car drivers could give back a little too.

Brains said...

Such a sense of entitlement! Unbelievable: Alan Michaan is upset about active parking meters and stiffer fines, not the removal of parking spaces. What a d-bag.

Daniel said...

As a person who lives in Oakland and who takes transit everywhere, I don't think it is fair to bash the grand lake like this. The issue is more complicated than expensive parking good, cheap parking bad. People drive whether you like it or not and though I am for more expensive parking, you have to understand that there are places around Oakland that do not have expensive parking like Walnut Creek etc. I support high costs everywhere for cars (parking, gas, tolls, etc.) but if they are high in just one area, you could drive them out and I think it is better to have people supporting Oakland in their cars than not at all.

Unknown said...

dlouislevy

As noted by Anonymous above...

The Grand Lake's own website tells visitors that there is free parking just across the street from the theater.

http://www.renaissancerialto.com/masters/grandl~1/GLparking.htm

Mr. Meechan is grandstanding.