It's not leaving the house that will ding NW Portlanders, but coming back home.

It's not leaving the house that will ding NW Portlanders...

That may be only a matter of time.

I love how the O chooses to write it:

All residents and employees of neighborhood businesses will be able to buy $60 annual parking permits.

Ah, "will be able to buy." What about "will have to buy?"

This is the endgame for the struggle in SE Portland, too. Step 1 is to allow apartments to be built w/o requiring parking, and then when residents complain, you force them to buy a permit.

There's no difference in governance approach among any of the Commissioners and Mayor. They are all big tax and spenders using the ruse of helping one needy group or another; moving most of us to be needy if we remain in the city that WORKS YOU OVER! I asked Hales about a limit tying City Government spending to the City's economy, but he had the audacity to say such a spending limit isn't needed because City Hall lives by the existing tax structure. I guess the new Arts tax, phone tax, miss-use of the Water and sewer bill, and a goal of lifting property tax limits in 2012 is a figment of my imagination.

You see Bob - they have to play by the rules - that they are free to change at any time.

So, why don't we the citizens pass an initiative that would call for a vote to any new fees, and increases to current fees/taxes greater than the rate of inflation. Perhaps that's the real game here - raise every fee imaginable until Mom and Dad say no.

Or how about any funds raised by the city through the imposition of a new fee must be matched $1:$1 by cuts from urban renewal. If nothing else, people need to be aware why these fees keep coming.

I'm still surprised Portland hasn't just passed this.

A co-worker of mine who lives in NW Portland, a committed and long-time Sam Adams skeptic, was hugely supportive of this and offered what I thought was an interesting perspective.

She said that folks who live in the Pearl District will leave their cars along NW 24th/25th/Westover/etc for days at a time rather than pay for the parking garages in their buildings. The folks who live in NW, many of whom don't have driveways, are left circling for blocks to try to find parking spots within shouting distance of their homes.

My co-worker doesn't love the idea of paying $60 a year for her pass, but she likes it a lot better than schlepping groceries half a mile from her car to her front door with two kids in tow.

Let's see . . .
Arts head tax -- $70 for two
Parking permits -- $120 for two, plus $60 for guest passes
Property tax increases -- $1,000, give or take
Leaf pick-up fee -- $30
Phone tax -- $5? or is it $5 monthly?

2013 is looking good!

She said that folks who live in the Pearl District will leave their cars along NW 24th/25th/Westover/etc for days at a time rather than pay for the parking garages in their buildings. The folks who live in NW, many of whom don't have driveways, are left circling for blocks to try to find parking spots within shouting distance of their homes

What's wrong with a two hour parking limit? In many cities there are even laws that say you cannot park your car on the same side of the street two days consecutively, or more than eight hours...

Those who follow the rules don't have to be blackmailed and gouged. Those who abuse the privilege of street parking get to hang out at the tow lot.

Those who CHOOSE to purchase or live in homes that lack dedicated parking must accept the responsibilities of said decision - that means no guaranteed parking space.

What's wrong with a two hour parking limit?

No money in that. It takes two enforcement passes even to generate a ticket. The only benefit from meters in NW is the net revenue the meters and permits and fines will produce.

Speaking of warnings and fines, I read the recently article in the Trib about how TriMet thinks it has just about cleared up the problem with non-payers on the streetcar. They hired a beefy black guy to hop on and off the cars, checking tickets. What a joke. I've seen this guy exactly once in the last couple of months. He seems like a nice dude but he didn't hassle the street people taking up all of the seats. And it's physically impossible for anybody to check fares during the evening rush when people are packed into the NS car like sardines. Riders can't even get to the farebox online and that's the only option if you want to pay for your ticket with cash. The article also noted that people on the east side are more likely to pay. Of course they are! There's never been a streetcar in a fareless zone on the eastside but there has been in the downtown area and people continue to remain confused about whether a part of the westside route is still free, especially tourists.Anyway, sorry if this is a bit off topic, but while - technically speaking - there will soon be no free way to travel to NW 23rd, park and shop - the odds that you will be approached by a fare inspector on the streetcar are still low to non-existent. And big deal anyway. At $1.00 per rider the system doesn't even BEGIN to pay for itself.