Are Parking Rate Hikes Good For Burlingame?

Last week, the Burlingame City Council approved moving forward with of 25 cents per hour in the downtown area and the installation of smart meters--meters that can be paid by credit card--along Burlingame Avenue.

Revenue from the rate hike will go towards the Burlingame Avenue Streetscape Improvement Project, a renovation of the Avenue making it more pedestrian friendly by expanding the sidewalks, improving landscaping and lighting and restructuring parking from diagonal to parallel.

Councilmembers and City staff said they hoped smart meters would improve parking turnover on Burlingame Avenue, by taking away the ability to "feed to meter" after the posted time limit is up.

What do you think of the parking meter increases? The last time Burlingame increases parking rates was 2002, so is it fair for the City to impose a quarter increase 10 years later? Do you think smart meters will help bring more people downtown? Or will they be put off by the price increase? Do you foresee yourself changing your downtown parking practices?

Let us know what you think by responding in the comments below.

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