An end to subsidized parking

The people of Arcata remember back 10 years ago to 2006 when gas steadily climbed past $3 per gallon and wonder how they ended up saddled with this mess. Few people drive anymore, and yet so much of our land that we need for housing ourselves and growing food is taken up by pavement.

Sounds like paranoid fantasy? May I suggest reading up a little on the concept of Peak Oil? With gas going over $3 a gallon for good and parking at HSU set to jump to almost $160 per semester in two years, the twilight of our easy-motoring lifestyle is starting to show a little more clearly.

Yet our road infrastructure is over-built even for the amount we use it today. Look around you at most times of day and you see wide empty streets and plentiful parking in most parts of town at most times of day. This is kind of nice for motorists, except the City can