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Why There’s Never Enough Parking — And Why “Free” Is the Real Problem

Every neighborhood like this has the same argument.

People say:

  • “There’s nowhere to park.”

  • “Developers should have to fix it.”

  • “The city needs to do something.”

And yet… nothing ever changes. That’s because the problem isn’t bad planning or new buildings. The problem is free parking in a place where space is already maxed out.

These Streets Were Never Built for This Many Cars

Most of the homes on blocks like this were built over 100 years ago. Back then:

  • people walked

  • took trolleys

  • or used public transit

Nobody imagined every household owning multiple cars—let alone huge SUVs, work vans, and trucks.

Today, it’s common to see:

  • 2 cars per household as the minimum

  • 4, 5, sometimes even 6 vehicles tied to one address

  • vans and trucks that barely move and are used for storage

  • cars parked by people who don’t even live nearby

The street ends up doing the job of:

  • a parking garage

  • a storage unit

  • and a commuter lot

All for free.

Free Parking Isn’t Free — Someone Pays for It

When parking costs nothing:

  • people keep extra vehicles

  • cars stop moving

  • space never opens up

And everyone else pays the price.

If you don’t own a car, you’re still paying:

  • through taxes

  • through noise and congestion

  • through blocked streets and sidewalks

There is no other personal property that the city stores for free like this.

You can’t leave a couch on the curb. You can’t store tools in the park. But you can leave a 6,000-pound SUV on public land indefinitely.

That’s not fair — and it’s not sustainable.

This Isn’t Just One Neighborhood — Cities Everywhere Face This

This problem isn’t unique. Cities all over the world have dealt with it, and the places that made progress all learned the same lesson:

You can’t solve unlimited demand with limited space.

Some cities actually tried different approaches — and they worked.

San Francisco: Charging a Fair Price

San Francisco tested a program where street parking prices changed based on demand. The goal wasn’t to punish drivers — it was simple:

  • keep a few spaces open on every block

What happened?

  • less circling

  • less double-parking

  • faster turnover

  • less frustration

People could actually find a spot.

Residential Permits That Actually Mean Something

In many European cities, residents still get parking permits — but:

  • permits cost real money

  • households are limited in how many they get

  • bigger or dirtier vehicles cost more

The result?

  • fewer “extra” cars

  • fewer vehicles used as storage

  • streets that actually work

Fewer Parking Mandates, Better Transit

Cities like Minneapolis and Seattle stopped forcing every new building to add parking. Instead, they:

  • improved transit

  • supported car-sharing

  • accepted that not everyone needs to drive everywhere

Car ownership dropped. Parking pressure eased. Housing got cheaper to build.

Why Developers Can’t Fix This (Even If They Wanted To)

People often say: “Make new buildings add parking.”

But here’s the truth:

  • You cannot build enough parking to cover unlimited free street parking.

  • You can’t widen streets that already exist.

  • You can’t force a 120-year-old block to work like a suburban mall.

Even if every new building added parking, it would be swallowed instantly by:

  • existing cars

  • second and third vehicles

  • non-residents

That’s why this problem never goes away.

The Hard Truth: There Is No Magic Fix

There’s no single solution that makes everyone happy.

But the only things that have ever worked anywhere are:

  • better public transportation

  • shared vehicles

  • fewer cars per household

  • limits on free curb parking

Not overnight. Not easily. But over time.

This Is Really About Fairness

At the end of the day, this isn’t about shaming people who need cars for work.

It’s about asking honest questions:

  • Why should one household take up five public spaces while another takes up none?

  • Why should public land be treated like private storage?

  • Why are people without cars subsidizing people with many?

Until cities are willing to deal with those questions directly, the complaints will continue — and the parking will never be enough.

Because when something valuable is free, demand never stops. And the curb only gets more crowded.

Doug Livingston