Transit-to-Parking Price Ratio

TriMet, the Portland region's primary transit provider, has been struggling to overcome budget shortfalls for several consecutive years. Just like at almost every other public agency in this nation, the Great Recession blew a hole in TriMet's revenue stream - in this case, the regional payroll tax. Among the agency's proposed solutions is raising fares from $2.10 to $2.50 for a two-zone trip. The proposal would also eliminate fare zones (including Portland's free rail zone), and institute a one-way-only rule (no more quick out-and-back trips). Meanwhile, Portland will continue to have among the cheapest downtown parking meter rates on the West Coast: $1.60/hour.


That got me thinking. How do other cities and regions compare in terms of transit and parking prices? Los Angeles has downtown parking rates as high as $4/hour, but a one-way transit ticket price of $1.50. Not what what you would expect from a famously car-oriented city. Seattle also has $4 downtown parking, but with $2.50 transit trips.  Rocky Mountain cities have expectedly cheap downtown parking, as low a $1/hour. In Phoenix, both parking and transit are inexpensive.

Regions are rarely able to coordinate transit and parking prices, which are usually controlled by separate public agencies. But comparing the two provides an idea of the "price signals" a region sends to its residents, commuters and visitors, intentionally or not. For a person deciding whether to drive or take a bus or train downtown, prices often tip the scale one way or the other.

In the table below, I've collected transit and parking prices for 10 major western U.S. cities. It includes the price of a one-way, peak-hour transit ride within the region's principal city, and the on-street hourly parking rate in that city's downtown. Then I divided the transit price by the parking price to arrive at a "transit-to-parking price ratio." A higher value means transit is more expensive relative to parking. As a proponent of active transportation, clean air and equity, I would judge these higher scores as, well, bad. Take a look.

Borrowing the lingo of Stephen Colbert: Denver, Sacramento and San Jose all get a wag of the finger, while L.A. and San Francisco get a tip of the hat. Portland is in the middle, though the forthcoming fare increase will of course give the region a higher, and worse, score. What's it like for those of you east of the Rockies or elsewhere?