A more equitable solution is for those who use the roads most heavily to pay a larger share for their upkeep. For example, a regional tax on parking spaces would be one solution for funding road maintenance, as the use of parking is directly proportional to the use of roadways. The fee would also encourage retailers, employers and government institutions with large parking lots to use land more efficiently and to provide more amenities for people who use alternative transportation. These are neighborhoods that combine opportunities to live, work, shop and play. Living in an urban village means you can walk or bicycle to the store, post office, cleaners or work, or to catch a bus.
Urban villages offer amenities like a coffee shop, newsstand, bakery and neighborhood park.
Consider South Willamette Street between 24th and 29th. Today the street is lined with strip-mall developments. The sidewalk is sandwiched between parking lots and traffic lanes, with no on-street parking or greenery as a buffer. Numerous driveways cut through the sidewalk, requiring hazardous maneuvers by motorists to get on or off the street in the speeding traffic. The area is hostile to pedestrians, cyclists and bus riders.