Parking Pinch

I received a notice from the managing principals of the firm I work for that there are some new changes coming to parking. Because the lot currently used by my coworkers will become a construction site for a new museum within the next couple of years, and because apparently we have been thinking about the strategic advantages of aquiring land next to our property, we have purchased a parcel of land that has already been paved and striped for parking.

There is, however, a catch. We now have fewer parking spots than before, and the demand for the parking in the old lot was pretty high already. What is the solution? Rationing! As one might imagine, those with higher rank in the firm will get the first bite at the asphalt covered apple, followed by all the rest who started at the firm prior to December of 2007. The rest will have to pay more for whatever is left over, or seek parking elsewhere.

From what I am told, the chaos has already begun. People are fretting over where they are going to park and how much they are going to pay to do it.

Now comes the shameless part: I could care less! Slowly but surely, as our company grows, more people will be confronted with the dilemma of paying a higher premium for parking or making use of alternatives. I can't wait till parking in our area is $100 a month. If I ride a bicycle, I get rock star parking right next to where the principals and managing principals park, and in some cases better parking. Even better, I don't get stuck in the parking lot waiting for gridlock traffic on Houston Street to let me out. I routinely beat my coworkers out of the downtown loop on a bicycle and have the added benefit of getting some exercise in the process.

Scratch one more thing off the list that I don't have to worry about now that I leave the car at home.