Stop OAKLAND PARKING EXPLOITATION and GO GREEN 

After being duly Elected by Oakland Residents, Mayor Ron Dellums' first "thank you" was to create zones around EVERY BART AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION hub restricting Parking to 2 Hours.

This does not differ with the EXTORTIVE practices of Parking Revenue Experts in most cities. However, Oakland, being made up primarily of lower and middle income families and workers, simply was not tapping it's citizens for the megabucks other cities had been garnering. So under Mr. Dellums' administration Parking has become an exploitive tool to harvest the money simple ( and approved and Legal ) Taxes were not generating.

CONSEQUENCE:  Businesses dependent on ethical transportation; I.E. Public transportation and walking; are being penalized and restricted from doing business, travel or visiting outside of Oakland unless an Automobile is used.

Additionally, to commute to SF, not only the Greenhouse Gasses of Driving, but paying out $30-40 to Park for the day REDUCES FROM MY SPENDING IN LOCAL OAKLAND BUSINESSES BY THAT DIRECT AMOUNT.  My neighboring businesses are loosing my dollars in other words to SF Parking Lots.

This is NOT conducive to the support of Public Transportation, Ethical Commuting; is ANYTHING BUT "GREEN" and is ultimately an all out assault on the Working Lower and Middle class for the benefit of extravagant City of Oakland Spending.

Please change all Parking next to Bart and AC Transit areas to reflect the working Class' need to "park and ride".  We need 8 Hour meters with RESONABLE rates Please, Sir. That will be a fine Thank You to the people who voted you into office and a Fine Way to celebrate "Earth Day".

After being duly Elected by Oakland Residents, Mayor Ron Dellums' first "thank you" was to create zones around EVERY BART AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION hub restricting Parking to 2 Hours.

This does not differ with the EXTORTIVE practices of Parking Revenue Experts in most cities. However, Oakland, being made up primarily of lower and middle income families and workers, simply was not tapping it's citizens for the megabucks other cities had been garnering. So under Mr. Dellums' administration Parking has become an exploitive tool to harvest the money simple ( and approved and Legal ) Taxes were not generating.

CONSEQUENCE:  Businesses dependent on ethical transportation; I.E. Public transportation and walking; are being penalized and restricted from doing business, travel or visiting outside of Oakland unless an Automobile is used.

Additionally, to commute to SF, not only the Greenhouse Gasses of Driving, but paying out $30-40 to Park for the day REDUCES FROM MY SPENDING IN LOCAL OAKLAND BUSINESSES BY THAT DIRECT AMOUNT.  My neighboring businesses are loosing my dollars in other words to SF Parking Lots.

This is NOT conducive to the support of Public Transportation, Ethical Commuting; is ANYTHING BUT "GREEN" and is ultimately an all out assault on the Working Lower and Middle class for the benefit of extravagant City of Oakland Spending.

Please change all Parking next to Bart and AC Transit areas to reflect the working Class' need to "park and ride".  We need 8 Hour meters with RESONABLE rates Please, Sir. That will be a fine Thank You to the people who voted you into office and a Fine Way to celebrate "Earth Day".

Mayor Dellums:

Restricting Parking to two hours around the major BART stations was a nearsighted assault on the working commuters of Oakland. Money I would now be spending in local, Oakland businesses is being robbed away by SF Parking Garages, Bridge Toll, and worst of all, especially on EARTH DAY is that the carbon emission increase from all that Automobile Movement has a huge effect on Bay Area and WORLD Air Quality, Carbon footprint and fuel costs. Today, after having bought tickets to the Fred Krupp talk at the commonwealth club I FORFEITED THE EVENT BECAUSE THERE IS NO PARKING FOR BART and I refuse to pay $30 for 2.5 hours parking. 

Please reconsider this action and create 10 hour metered parking at a reasonable rate, and be not like every other exploitive city but be Different and TRULY make a GREEN difference.


I am ready to wrap up and leave Oakland as I can no longer support my SF Clients due to Commuter costs and Parking: Thus my business, which was enabled by Public Transportation, is now in severe decline with costs eating me alive, when I could be trusting my car to a PROPER PARKING PLACE.

Thank You,

Mark Ostrom
i,MacExpert Consulting