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Episode 118

Parking Is Hell

There ain’t no such thing as a free parking spot. Somebody has to pay for it — and that somebody is everybody.

Episode 118

Parking Is Hell (Replay)

There ain’t no such thing as a free parking spot. Somebody has to pay for it — and that somebody is everybody.

Parking Isn't Always Hell

…$2/hour or $24/day. One-hour parking at a nearby garage costs $9 for the first hour. Three hours parking at that garage will cost you $24 (the 12-hour rate). That’s $18…



A Corruption/Parking Tickets Map

…doesn’t mind its diplomats racking up parking tickets might not mind outright corruption. The correlation between political corruption and parking violations is statistically robust, but a quick comparison between the…






Football, Sex, and Parking

…seat addition to the already 80,000-seat football stadium. Being a faculty member, I worry about faculty parking. Many of my colleagues have had parking spots next to our building, but…



FREAK Shots: Not Everyone Likes Free Parking

…when hybrid drivers take up the best parking spots all day, for free. In some cases, hybrid-vehicle parking and driving incentives become counterproductive, reports The Washington Post: carpool-lane privileges for…



The Right Price for Parking

The City of Austin sells valet parking companies the right to use a parking space for $250 per year. Is that the right price? I doubt it.? The appropriate price…



A Great View If You Like Parking Lots

In our podcast “Parking Is Hell,” we explored how the overwhelming demand for parking space has a lot of downsides. One big problem is that city centers can feel as…




Carrots or Sticks? Handicapped Parking Edition

I’m convinced that shame can in many cases provide stronger incentives than a monetary penalty uncertainly enforced. At a parking place in Luxembourg, the sign on the handicapped parking places…



Parking Is Hell: Architects to the Rescue

Inspired by our “Parking Is Hell” podcast, an ArchDaily op-ed shows how architects think about the parking problem: The new car park in Miami is off to a good start,…



Diplomatic Parking Tickets

(iStockphoto) Usually, it’s New York City that complains bitterly about its diplomat parking ticket situation. The U.N. may be a beacon of hope and peaceful negotiation around the world, but…



Special Parking for Hybrids

(Photo: Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious) My wife took four grandkids to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey. Looking for a parking space, she noticed the usual handicapped parking spots…



Valet Parking by the Half-Hour

In a hurry while taking my mom to the Heart Hospital, I decided to use valet parking. I assumed that, as is standard at restaurants, there would be a fixed…



Parking Tickets and Corruption

New York City, home to the United Nations and many foreign diplomats, has famously coped with the problem of diplomats racking up comically high numbers of parking tickets. Ray Fisman…




FREAK Shots: A Cheap Parking Spot

Reader Tina Gao sent in this photo of a parking spot in Rockport, Mass., and asked, “[W]hy would anyone ever pay more than a penny for the spot?” Can anyone…



Parking Tickets and Corruption, Take Two

Last year we blogged about the fascinating study written by economists Ray Fisman and Ted Miguel analyzing the patterns of parking violations among diplomats to the United Nations in New…



Pareto Parking

…in airport parkinglot when he flew off three days later, a few hours before we returned. This exchange was a clear Pareto improvement: he avoided the cost of renting a…




Episode 50

Edward Miguel on Collecting Economic Data by Canoe and Correlating Conflict with Rainfall

…Africa. Steve asks Edward, a Berkeley professor, about Africa’s long-term economic prospects, and how a parking-ticket-scandal in New York City led to a major finding on corruption around the world….

What Didn’t We Know About Congestion Pricing?

parking sales tax for zone residents, and more widespread parking meters and higher charges for them. Collectively — after deducting for the cost of installation of the detection system —…




An Apparent Non-Money Pricing Anomaly

…to free parking days. The incentives for redeeming the points are bizarre: Garage 2500 points Close In 2500 points Long Term 2500 points The “price” of a free parking day…



Episode 372

Freakonomics Radio Live: “Would You Eat a Piece of Chocolate Shaped Like Dog Poop?”

What your disgust level says about your politics, how Napoleon influenced opera, why New York City’s subways may finally run on time, and more. Five compelling guests tell Stephen Dubner,…

Bad News For Meter-Maids

…never see parking meters; I buy a piece of paper at a parking automat (typically one per block) and put it on my dashboard. Why the difference? I assume that…



Never Pay a Speeding Ticket Again?

…$500 will stop the average person from receiving more than $169 (the premium) in annual tickets. (Ticketfree.org was smart not to cover parking tickets. Because parking tickets don’t result in…