Bend City Councilmember Advocates for Parking Reform

Melanie Kebler, a recently elected city councilmember in Bend, Oregon, writes an opinion piece for The Bulletin to advocate for parking policy reforms.

According to Kebler, the Bend City Council is preparing two-year goals, and parking reform can be a key component of making a mor sustainable city.

Bend residents interact with our streets, roads and parking lots every day. How we use that public space has a direct impact on everyone’s quality of life. The city has a duty to responsibly manage space on our streets in a way that is equitable, financially sound, and environmentally responsible. And in fact, one way to do this is to start thinking of our streets as public spaces for people, not just cars.

The opinion piece relies on the language perfected by Donald Shoup, citing the high costs of free parking, and also references recent work by the Sightline Institute to raise awareness about parking reform in Cascadia. Kebler suggests parking benefit districts and the end of parking minimums as potential parking reforms for Bend.