Photo by Daquella manera on Flickr.

To help shore up DC’s finances, Jim Graham has proposed raising meter rates, including charging for Saturday parking, the Examiner reports.

Contemporary parking thinking - and Michael Perkins’ testimony last week - seems to be making an impact on Graham, who called the $1/hour rates “far, far below the market rate and constitute a very significant subsidy for visitor parking.” Perkins, an Arlington resident, testified that he’d happily pay $2 or $2.50 an hour to be assured of finding a space downtown.

Graham is only suggesting a 50-cent hike to $1.50 an hour. DCist asks, why not $2? Still, if any increase is politically viable, raises revenue and reduces congestion, it’ll be a good start.

I actually agree, a little bit, with AAA:

AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman John Townsend said AAA wouldn’t contest the rate increase if the new revenue were set aside for transportation improvements — an unlikely scenario. The council, Townsend said, should stop “penalizing” visitors and commuters.

AAA should drop its “war on drivers” language. Is it “penalizing” when your landlord tries to collect the rent you owe, or when the telephone company expects you to pay your phone bill?

Still, dedicating meter revenue to transportation is a good idea. We could use the money to build a streetcar system, help struggling business corridors, and stimulate more economic development that will strengthen DC’s finances for years to come.

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.