Dumpster parking only (Photos)

A reader pointed out that there are dumpsters in the street on Fairmont Avenue near the 7770 Norfolk building, and mentioned that they are taking up several public parking spaces without paying the meters. Dumpsters can be placed in the public right-of-way with a permit issued by Montgomery County. But I'm not familiar with the rules on when they are in paid parking spaces, such as whether they can pay a fee directly to the County in lieu of paying at the meter.

Detail from application for
construction permit

BETHESDA PUBLIC PARKING LOT 8 OPENS - FINALLY!

Bethesda's newest public parking lot, Lot 8 on St. Elmo Avenue between Norfolk and Woodmont Avenues, opened Monday after months of delay by the county.

Lighting has finally been installed

Don't let word get out about the best parking in
town - it's our little secret on St. Elmo Avenue!

Thank the Monopoly Guy for free parking; meters haven't been installed, but are scheduled to be by next Monday.

No meters!  Plenty of free parking
and upscale ambiance

Free surface parking - this is what
America's all about!

There is a 2 hour time limit.  Please check all signage when parking for updated policies.

2 hour limit - don't get towed
away by The Man!

Until then, enjoy the best kept secret in downtown Bethesda parking - Lot 8!

"BETHESDA PARKERS MUST PAY MORE!!" SAYS MONTGOMERY COUNTY COUNCIL

The Montgomery County Council has concluded you still have too much spending money, and darn it if you aren't spending too much of it at Bethesda shops and restaurants!

So, once again, the council is initiating another one of what they call, "conversations."

We know what the conversation is: it's the council asking you, "What's in your wallet?"  That's all they ever do.

Yesterday, a council committee heartily endorsed the following parking fee increases for the Bethesda central business district (new cost in bold):

Long-term parking: from 75 cents to 80 cents an hour
Monthly pass: from $140 to $150
Short-term parking: from $1 to $1.25 an hour


It's outrageous.

Note that Silver Spring will continue to be subsidized by us.  Parking will continue to be cheaper in downtown Silver Spring.  So when you park and have dinner at American Tap Room at Bethesda Row, you're not only paying the full charge for yourself, but for a portion of the parking fee for the guy who's dining at Romano's Macaroni Grill in Silver Spring at the same time.  Ain't it cool?

The full council will vote on the increase this month.

They don't seem to be in touch with the current financial pressures downtown Bethesda businesses, workers, residents and visitors are under.

But then, when are they?  It's interesting that there is a claim that the county is short on revenue.  So why is the current budget proposal bigger than last year's?  If we can't afford more, why would we spend more?

Eliminate 3 parking lots, make parking more frustrating, and now make it more expensive.

Boy, that county council sure knows how to help Bethesda businesses!

BATTERY LANE RESIDENTS OPPOSE PLAN TO INSTALL PARKING METERS

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett has proposed installing parking meters on Battery Lane, between Old Georgetown Road and Woodmont Avenue.  Some residents are organizing to oppose the plan, and have posted a petition online to stop it. 

Lauren Lefkowitz, who started the petition, says the recent repaving of Battery left only about 20 street parking spaces.  These are relied upon heavily by visitors and servicepeople like plumbers or electricians.  Private lots, not surprisingly, utilize permit parking at the various residential buildings.

Friends and Residents of Battery Lane emphasizes the quiet, residential nature of Battery Lane.

As always, these are complicated issues.  Obviously, the County Executive, and if they approve it, the County Council, want revenue.  Once again this year, the county budget is scheduled to grow, rather than shrink, despite an ongoing structural deficit.  Politicians who won't make tough cuts or restructure government have received little criticism in the local press.  Is anyone surprised that they have gained a false sense of invincibility?

So, there's no question, they are scrounging through the sofa cushions and knocking off the citizens' bank accounts for every last dime, to fund a budget bigger than last year's.

At the same time, parking will be getting even worse on Battery in the next few years.  Two major developments are moving through the planning process now.

What officials don't want is the same thing they didn't want when other parts of downtown Bethesda redeveloped:  free parking.

Back in the 90s, if I recall correctly - and please correct me if I'm wrong - where there wasn't "free" parking outright, you didn't have to feed the meter after a certain hour.  As politicians sought more money to play with, they turned to parking meters in Bethesda.

This led to the Pajama Parkers:  exhausted residents running outside at various hours to put more money into the parking meter.  In some cases, older buildings didn't have enough spaces; in others, street parking was cheaper than leasing or buying a space.

I'm foggy on the details, but clearly remember the uproar and the Pajama  Parkers.

Guess what?  Government won.

Fast forward to today.

I think it may be premature to install meters on Battery, until we know exactly what type of businesses, restaurants, bars, etc. will be on the ground floor of these developments.  It might make more sense to go to a permit system, by which residents could give guests a permit to park.

Plus, the demand for parking will be less the further west on Battery you are.  Surely, the grocery store in the Woodmont/Battery development on the old Ramada Inn site will offer its own free parking.  I'd also expect at least 2 of these new, private garages to be open to the public.

Unfortunately, if the new developments contain popular businesses that attract many patrons, meters on Battery would be almost unavoidable, if there is not free parking available within the new buildings.  There would be spillover, and those cars would be hogging the spaces that visitors of residents on Battery Lane need.

I think the best approach would be to not make county revenue the top priority in this situation.  The real priority is, how do we preserve or create parking spaces for visitors of Battery residents?  How do we avoid charging someone who simply wants to park his or her car, and jog or cycle along the Bethesda Trolley Trail?  And how do we balance the current parking problem with the pressures of the future development?

I'm not very optimistic.  Every time I'm hit up for paid parking in the rural exurbs (I'm talking about you, downtown Frederick), or at a hospital parking lot nowhere near a Metro station, or anything else people would want to snag a space for, I feel ripped off.

We're moving towards a future where every inch the car moves, and every parking space the car fills - including in front of suburban homes! - will incur a charge.  I predict that - as we move towards more play money budgets of $6, 7, 8, 9 billion - the council will float the concept of paid permit parking in single-family residential neighborhoods countywide.  Write that down.  Each additional car will be an extra charge.  Scary, right?

So even if you don't live in downtown Bethesda, pay attention to parking issues like those on Battery.  Today's urban parking penalties are tomorrow's suburban parking payday for big-spending politicians.