Not a problem to go elsewhere for everything. Been working in, or near downtown for over 15 years. We really have no need or want to go downtown for anything – too many other great places to shop & eat without the hassles of downtown. Everyone I know that doesn’t live within walking distance or is over age 25, just avoids it anyway.

First rule of (Boise) politics is never let a problem go by without asking for money to fix it.

Second rule…create as many problems as you can and apply rule #1.

It would be interesting to know how many Boise citizens go downtown more than once a year or so. Drive throughs don’t count. Of those who work downtown how many would avoid it if possible?

Team Dave himself wants you to ‘trust us’ (me and the Council lapdogs) to make the really big and tough decisions like F-35 pandering and a new boondoggle stadium.

I worked downtown for 3 decades but won’t drive there during day. Road construction, i.e. ‘progress and (service industry) jobs!’aren’t what it’s about, folks.

What ever happened to the ‘smart’ parking meters that reset to zero time after a car leaves the spot? That was/is an ACHD/Boise City tussle. Another way to force parkers into the lots. Why is the city in the parking lot business, anyway?

Bikeboy missed one thing…

“shop and dine close to home”…
Yes, and WORK close to home or LIVE close to your work is another good principle.

Already well stated, nothing is “free”. And everything is a choice.
People will choose to pay the higher parking.

btw Guardian, you don’t have to ‘wrestle steer manure’ onto a bicycle if you compost your green waste.
A sustainable lifestyle is a good solution.
You also don’t have to buy a weeks worth of groceries at one time.
Taking an evening walk is good for the blood pressure- walk or bicycle to the grocery store each day (for good health). It lowers the blood pressure after reading blog troll posts.

Of course that requires living fairly close to the store… hence P&Z approving box stores near all that urban sprawl makes it easy for people to walk to Walmart. I see it at Glenwood all the time.
But if you really want to buy groceries for a whole week, they do make some affordable bicycle TRAILERS.
If a week of groceries is your only hurdle, I bet Bikeboy could hook you up. The petroleum vehicle is fading into past- too many better solutions exist today.

EDITOR NOTE: Easterner–Regarding the composting and green lid boxes. I think it is safe to say Boise City is dispensing something rotten and people actually seem to enjoy it! 🙂

Be patient….the mayor and his cronies next move is to take over ACHD. That way they control CCDC, GBAD and ACHD – nothing will stop them then!

Bigger employers and government can offer a program to pay for your parking (upto $260/month) or transit (upto $260/month) with pretax income. There used to be a program to reimburse bike commuters for maintenance, parts, etc up to $20/month, but that part is being taken out by D.C. http://www.newsweek.com/tax-cuts-middle-class-bikers-709565

Seems to me it’s all gonna work out fine. I despise Eagle Road and the Village as much as the rest of you hate downtown, so knock yourselves out at Big Al’s and free up some parking around the Grove for me. I can afford a few bucks to park, and would so much rather spend my money downtown than in Meridian. Free market capitalism strikes again…ain’t it great?

The Village in Meridian needed lots of road upgrades in order to funnel all that traffic. The developer paid for those improvements, but the State agreed to pay them back to the tune of $25 million. Sounds like the citizens of Idaho are subsidizing some of that “free parking”.

More at Eye on Boise: http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2017/nov/14/idahos-october-revenues-took-hit-state-made-catch-payment-meridian-developer/

EDITOR NOTE–State is just as guilty of subsidizing and encouraging development as cities. We firmly oppose deals like Cabelas at Post Falls, but have to admit we were unaware–as were most folks–of the deal at Meridian. The GUARDIAN tried in vain to alert folks to the deal TEN YEARS AGO!! https://boiseguardian.com/2007/10/22/taxes-to-increase-eagle-rd-traffic/ We even noted back then that it was an accounting nightmare for the tax commission. Seems that turned out to be true!

I agree, Bikeboy is right. Easterner is right until he reaches an unfounded conclusion: “all communities need effective mass transit.” That would be Easterner making the choices for others.

I appreciated mass transit in Europe and Asia, and never desired to drive there. Didn’t desire to live there either.

Simply put, my car is like a nice restaurant; my bike would be like a good, hand-packed lunch in a brown bag; and mass transit is a very bad cafeteria. It would add nothing of value to Boise City, and will surely diminish the good that is there.

Make no mistake – the intent is to reduce choice. Reduce car lanes, car parking, car traffic, and car choice.

Frank – when you are the CCDC and you (and the mayor) can control all the tax revenue from the increase in tax assessment you have a pot of cash you can spend on “public projects”.

These projects can compete with and / or subsidize the infrastructure that the developers do not have to pay for to make the projects viable.

It is like St Luke’s who has so much cash it has to spend it on more and more buildings or the massive cash becomes too visible.

DT. How does Albertsons feel about your using their parking lot as a Park and Ride. I know Winco across from the courthouse wasn’t too wild about that.

But Easterner, DT Office Worker also shops at the Albertson’s, so it is not really free parking. And it makes Albertson’s look busier. And maybe the DT Office Worker works at an Albertson’s. Many unstated possibilities.

It’s funny seeing so-called “market-based” conservatives rip on charging a market rate for parking. Just as places like the Village understand the market with regard to their parking, it stands to reason that downtown market for parking rates be adjusted for what the market will bear. That’s a pretty sound decision. If it leads to less usage, then that’s all about basic supply and demand. I’ve yet to see a downtown that is “suffering” due to parking prices. The downtowns that have free parking are often the ones that are having economic struggles and free parking is a last desperate attempt to revive them.

I lived in Boise in the early 2000s and always found it funny that people groaned about “downtown parking problems.” I never paid for parking downtown because I wasn’t afraid to walk a few blocks. After leaving for 9 years and returning last year I was certain that all my old free parking areas of downtown would be gone given all the growth. To my surprise, I still always find free parking downtown and my old spots are still there. Oftentimes, my walking distance from these spots to my destination of not any longer than having to park on the fringe of the Village, the Mall, or Walmart parking lots on a busy day.