Free evening parking returns
on October 22, 2009
Oakland merchants are hoping you’ll park your car and take a stroll through neighborhood shops tomorrow night in celebration of “the return of free evening parking.”
The free parking is returning because the Oakland city council opted to roll back the parking meter hours that they extended in July. The unpopular meter extension brought droves of businesses owners into council chambers complaining that the parking hikes were driving away customers, which lead council members to roll the hours back to the original cutoff time of 6 PM.
And so, Oakland shoppers will find that after 6 PM, the meters become free, just as they were in June. Let the celebration begin!
Businesses throughout the city will be participating in the this open house event, so come enjoy refreshments, rebates and live music at participating stores and restaurants from 5 to 8 PM.
3 Comments
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[…] from 5-8pm, you can celebrate the “return of free evening parking” with Oakland retailers throughout the […]
Why is “free parking” in quotes? Is the parking not free? Or does the author agree that people are entitled to park in public space for free?
Hi dto510.
What I meant to do was distinguish between the non-metered parking that was never subject to a fee and the metered spaces that were outside their hours of operation.
I see your point, and to make this a bit more clear, I am going to update the post. Thanks for your feedback!
Best,
Kate