What’s all the Fuss?

Free parking?

On the Plateau it may soon be a thing of the past. And those of you who have been following the controversy, know that this has made some people very upset, and it has caused mayor Gerald Tremblay to rescind the boroughs’ newly granted power to administer their own parking fees, and allocate the revenue as they see fit. Putting the debate on ice, somewhat, for now, at least.

But surely that will not be the end of it – though we may have to endure a different s**t-storm in the interim.

When the Plateau’s parking quandary does come back to the table, it might be useful to expose ourselves to some facts, ideas and opinions surrounding the issue.

So, what does one need to know?

Well, as far as the nuts and bolts of the proposed plan goes, it’s all there on Luc Ferrandez’s site. His recent blog entry spells-out the reasoning behind the new parking proposals – and they are really quite reasonable measures coming from a democratically elected mayor who ran on a platform of doing exactly what he is doing and has done since the votes were tallied. His parking plan can only be shocking on the grounds that politicians don’t usually follow through with their promises. I call it refreshing.

So what’s the threat? Why are merchants so up in arms about these measures that they have resorted to smear campaigns and behind-closed-doors meetings with the mayor at ville centre? The particularities of power politics and conspiracies I will leave to other commentators, for I have no idea whether Gerald Tremblay is trying to collaborate with wealthy business owners to oust or otherwise ruin the one borough mayor who is re-writing the rules in municipal politics in Montreal, for that is an area of speculation in which I am not an expert.

I am (I believe) considerably more informed on matters surrounding automobile dependence and the many ills associated with its predominance in the urban environment. Urban planning and municipal politics combined with grass-roots community initiatives in the right circumstances can combine to address and solve many of these ills. This is what I believe we are witnessing here with this parking controversy in Plateau Mont-Royal: we are actually experiencing one form of the ever-vaunted “change” that politicians promise but rarely deliver upon.

What people find so very threatening with the actual proposed changes to the way parking is administered and allocated is something of a mystery. Having read the details of the proposal I can’t imagine where some people are getting the impression that this is an insensitive cash-grab and a threat to the livelihood of small businesses. On the contrary, the more you read the more you understand that these proposals stem from a real and inspired vision of what an administration can achieve in governing public space in an equitable and reasonable fashion, with the clear objective of improving the quality of life in the plateau, while transforming it into a truly world-class, functional community – and generating revenue in a form other than property taxes.

That these objectives should involve the curtailment of automobile dependency, the general reduction and calming of traffic, and an emphasis on improved public transit should come as no surprise to anyone paying attention to the historical record and the demands of the 21^st century. There are a great many examples where similar proposals have caused businesses to react with fear and misgivings at first, only to be convinced later once the changes were implemented, by experiencing the benefits first hand. The most famous examples include Copenhagen’s pedestrianisation of the city centre, and Portland Oregon’s similar measures. The proof is in the pudding as they say: life and business goes on quite well (thank-you very much) even in the absence of automobiles, when you’ve got a plan.

We have the plan before us.

Fear mongering and smear-campaigns represent a failure to embrace change at a time when change is clearly needed. Reducing our dependence on gasoline, and reducing our carbon emissions can only happen if we chart a new course. In short, we are talking about aiming for real success measured by quality of life that doesn’t just happen on its own. The definition of success can and must be reclaimed, one parking spot at a time. We need politicians and business leaders with the courage to move toward a vision of reality that comports with, er, reality. And who are willing facilitate change that amounts to real, and progressive, er, change.

For once!