Civic · 6 pages · 12 min
Why free parking is paid by someone
When a driver pays nothing at the stall, the cost has been bundled into rent, prices, or taxes.
When the purchase is complete, return to the original window. It will refresh.
From the opening
Free parking means the driver pays no charge at the moment of parking, not that the stall cost nothing to provide. Someone paid to build or dedicate the space, and someone pays to maintain it, so the cost is shifted into rent, retail prices, wages, or taxes rather than removed. The opening covers a zero price is not a zero cost, rent and prices can hide the stall, and the curb is maintained by taxes.
The rest of the brief — the later sections and the reading notes — opens after Stripe confirms payment.
Inside
- A zero price is not a zero cost
- Rent and prices can hide the stall
- The curb is maintained by taxes
- Unbundling shows the user the bill
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Bundled parking cost
- The high cost of free parking