No, this is not a typo. The original title of the article was “Free Parking vs Paid Parking.” However, as we all know there is no free lunch or free parking!
While IOP certainly welcomes public parking, that parking comes at a cost. Police, fire and emergency services must be provided to all that park on our island as well as trash pick-up and maintenance. Those services are currently paid for by Isle of Palms taxpayers in the “free” parking areas.
IOP is one of the few municipalities ties that continues to pay for parking for the general public. North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, Folly Beach and Hilton Head are examples of beach front municipalities that charge for public parking, as do county parks. So, what has changed? Why do folks now have to pay to go to the beach in the vast majority of municipalities as well as county parks?
The short answer is people. The Charleston metro area has reached 1 million in population. All those folks within an easy drive want to hit the beach on sunny days! On IOP, our available parking is typically full in the summer by 10 a.m. and that pressure on parking will only increase as more people move to the coast. Typically, metro areas double in population within eight years of reaching 1 million. Charleston metro is on track to double in population much more quickly!
What’s the solution? IOP is not getting any bigger and the island already provides over eight times the amount of parking required by the state. Charging for parking will help in a number of ways.
First, charging for parking shifts the burden of paying for government services to the individuals that benefit – those that park at the beach. Second, charging for parking encourages carpooling or riding the “free” beach shuttle. Fewer cars opens parking to more people. Third, charging for parking encourages turnover so that more spaces are available to more people each day.
Of course, there will always be those that will demand free parking. They want others to pay their way. IOP was recently sued because it was too expensive for folks to break the law on IOP! Hard to make this stuff up. IOP City Council is currently interviewing professional parking companies to manage the parking on IOP. Better enforcement of our existing laws will benefit everyone.
Further, it is inevitable that IOP City Council will consider charging for parking island wide. In addition to the benefits already stated, charging for parking will require that visitors enter their license tag number and credit card information. This information is invaluable to law enforcement in tracking down bad guys that commit crimes on our island. I expect this will have a chilling effect on criminal behavior and make our island a better, safer place for all to visit.
But this is just one council member’s opinion.
By Blair Hahn
Isle of Palms City Council Member
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