Practice parking 'green'

We're intrigued by Cedar Rapids city officials' plan to give drivers of energy-efficient cars priority parking in downtown ramps.

As part of a larger drive toward sustainability, it seems like a good move for the city to reward drivers who drive “greener” cars.

But will a good parking space really entice people to leave their inefficient cars at home?

And we're interested to see how the plan will work in practice, especially since the “green parking spaces” only will be enforced, for now, through the honor system.

Officials recently announced they'll reserve the best parking spots in the city's Fourth Avenue and Third Avenue parking ramps for drivers of hybrid, alternative-fuel or zero-emission vehicles. They say they'll likely do the same in other downtown parking ramps as well.

The first green parking spaces - four each at the Fourth Avenue and Third Avenue parking ramps - will be open just as soon as the signs are posted on the wall, Sandy Pumphrey, a civil engineer in the Public Works Department, told us this week.

The city is hoping those spots will persuade people to leave more inefficient cars at home.

The idea isn't unheard of - it's been used at shopping malls, college campuses and other cities across the country. Two Massachusetts state senators recently proposed providing preferred parking for green cars throughout that entire state.

The Austin Community College District based in Austin, Texas, started a green parking program earlier this month. Media Relations Coordinator Alexis Patterson told us that so far, things are going great.

But the difference is that Cedar Rapids officials don't have any plans as yet to make sure their green parking spaces are used as intended.

Pumphrey recently told a Gazette reporter that the city will rely on “social pressure” to enforce the rules.

“Obviously, if somebody sees you get into a Hummer and you are driving away from a space like that, it may be somebody who will give you a look that says you shouldn't be doing that,” he said. But will that look be enough?

In contrast, the Massachusetts proposal would subject violators to a fine, a tow, or both. On Austin Community College campuses, drivers must register and display a free “green” sticker to park in the special spots, or they'll face a $25 fine.

Pumphrey told us that while the city has no immediate plans to ticket or tow violators, “if it becomes something that makes sense to do, I'm sure we'll do that.”

“We're just trying to be forward thinking,” he said.

Green parking spaces might be an easy, inexpensive way for the city to promote sustainability.

Let's hope they work that way in practice.