First the builder pays. Then the employer or merchant who maintains the parking pays again. Some parking spaces are paid for continually. The costs, whether hidden or obvious, are expensive. Employees pay for parking with reduced wages or benefits whether they drive or not.
Shoppers pay for parking with higher costs of goods and services.
Taxpayers pay for public parking. Plentiful free parking in suburban areas and cheap parking in cities encourage employees and shop-pers to drive to their destinations, rather than using available transit services. Case studies of employers in Washington, DC and Los Angeles found that about one-fourth of employees began driving alone to work once employers offered free parking. Subsidies help these commuters choose to drive despite notorious traffic delays. In fact, the availability of free or cheap parking is one of the biggest determinants of whether a person drives to his or her destination, or takes transit, walks, bicycles or carpools.