So Far, Higher Parking Fees Not Reducing Denver Traffic

Denver’s efforts to reduce driving and parking in the city’s downtown seem to have little effect, reports Alayna Alvarez for Axios Denver.

Although “City leaders said the fee increase could get Denver closer to achieving its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 with fewer drivers on the road and less car exhaust in the air,” Alvarez writes that “Parking meter revenue this year through March more than doubled to $3.8 million compared to the first quarter of 2021, city transportation department spokesperson Nancy Kuhn tells Axios Denver,” belying the assumption that higher fees would deter drivers.

The money will fund infrastructure projects, writes Alvarez: “Half the revenue will be funneled toward transit, sidewalks, bikeways and street safety improvements, while the rest will flow into the city's general fund.”

Alvarez notes that “Parking violation fines also increased this year to more closely align Denver with its peer cities and reduce vehicle congestion,” but so far, “Neither policy appears to have reduced traffic on Denver's roadways.”