residential parking meters and permit-only zones, coming soon to a neighborhood near you!

I keep wondering when Portland will outsource its solar-powered meter-maid revenues to a private contractor. It's worked out so well for other cities, why not try it here?

"Hizzoner Michael Bloomberg in New York .... announced that it is putting up nearly 90,000 parking meters for lease. They’re expecting to get over $11 billion in upfront money from the deal"
Wow, how quickly could WE burn through $11 Biilion?

I live on Portland's inner east side. I have no garage or drive way. As a homeowner I'm required to maintain street trees that aren't on my property that I didn't plant. This has cost me about $2500 during the last three years. I'm also required to repair the sidewalk in front of my house if it becomes cracked. The sidewalk isn't a part of my property either. These costs are in addition to the property taxes I pay. Why shouldn't I be able to park in front of my house?

I was recently told by Parking Enforcement that the 24 hour rule hasn't been enforced since the 90s. You can file a complaint, but nothing will come of it unless there's a "real" violation -- yellow zone, blocked driveway, etc...

How many car owners will there really be when 90% of the units are 650 sq feet or less?

Looks like we'll have to hire more personnel to take care of the "COMPLAINT DRIVEN" parking rules, huh?

I had a car towed in front of my house via the 24 hour rule about 5 years ago. It had been there for weeks, but it wasn't blocking anything.

Mike- Also remember when it snows you have to shovel your sidewalk in front of your house. I have two lots so that's 105 feet for me which just about gives me a heart attack.

A couple of floor jacks can solve that, "not blocking anything" problem.....

Very seriously, what recourse do you guys have for reserving streets as Resident Parking Only (RPO) zones? I'm not talking about whether or not Sammy and his buddies would approve it: I honestly want to know if city ordinances and state law would allow it. I bring it up because I sympathize: a lot of older areas in Dallas were hit with that same level of entitlement (including, and I'm not kidding in the slightest, fratboys who would crap on residents' front lawns because the residents didn't get up quickly enough at 3 in the morning to answer the door and let them use the bathroom), and they finally had to organize to guarantee that they could actually get parking spaces in front of their own houses. Considering that things are only going to get worse when the bunkers get lots of restaurants and bars next to them (or, worse, underneath them), now's the time to see what you can do to fight back.

"so get used to it".... Great way to make friends and influence the long time residents of your new neighborhood.
This punk may find his motorcycle with mysterious malfunctions and damage or just gone, with remarks and an attitude like his.

And there are at least 15 more of these bunkers in the works that will not be taken away even if by some miracle the zoning was changed.

Portland Native, I guarantee he has a scooter, not a motorcycle.

The underlying issue is that Amerika has devolved into a hedonistic, me-first, second, and last society.

Nobody wants to give an inch if it throws off their groove.

But the irony is we are all small rats clawing at each other, while the big rats smile.

It's true, areas of the city are increasingly feeling like settlements in an occupied territory, thanks to a hostile local government that's made it clear it wants to drive out the old demographic and replace it with another.

Oregonian: Thirty percent of the Overlook Park Apartments would be 385-square-feet studios. Another 10 percent would be two-bedrooms, ranging from 750 to 775 square feet. Most of the units -- 60 percent -- will be one-bedrooms that range from 525 to 650 square feet. Each apartment will have laundry facilities in the space, as well as a reinforced wall hook to hang a bike.
JK: This is METRO's wet dream come true. Jamming people into prison cell sized condos to drive up land costs to make city hall's cronies rich while claiming to protect the farmland (for potted plants)

Thanks
JK

You know Homer's salivating at the idea:

http://news.yahoo.com/san-francisco-could-allow-among-tiniest-apartments-us-201354779.html

And people think zoning laws are to protect their investment. The folks at city hall are laughing and have been for years. Scam!

ITGuy is correct. The 24-hour parking regulation hasn't been enforced for a long time, and the reason, told to me by someone in the Abandoned Auto bureau, is because all the money for that (basic) service went into the streetcar. As such, a registered vehicle can be stored on the public right-of-way for the entire period it is registered (up to 2 years) without getting either a ticket or a tow. However, unregistered vehicles, or vehicles that appear inoperable (e.g. broken glass or flat tires), can be called in and will be ticketed and then towed if they are not moved off the street. Which makes one wonder if, in the coming years, there won't be a whole lot more vandalized vehicles in these cr-apartment neighborhoods than would normally be expected.

More broadly, any city's parking regulations are only as good as it's parking enforcement. And in Portland, there is no parking enforcement. As a consolation, there are plenty of streetcars. But, of course, they are nowhere near the parking problems.

It seems US hipsters are internationally unpopular.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/13/us-germany-berlin-tourists-idUSBRE88C0ZT20120913