No Lots, No Problem

The Post reports on a proposal to turn the curbs surrounding the stadium into a pseudo parking lot.

Under the proposal, the city would allow the company to charge fees for an estimated 4,000 parking spots on the blocks in the neighborhood near the stadium, which is to be built along the Anacostia River near the Navy Yard and South Capitol Street, government sources familiar with the plan said.

In return, the company would give the city a percentage of the revenue to service debt payments on $100 million in bonds to be used for stadium construction. The parking firm, the name of which was not disclosed, has similar operating agreements near stadiums in other cities, the sources said.

I don't know much about the proposal, but it seems to me that the easiest solution would be to not use a private vendor but to install those European-style parking machines. There's a central machine that you deposit money in on each block. In return, you get a receipt to display on your dashboard for the appropriate amount of time. Something like that would be quick and easy.

With DC's fine and dedicated battalion of parking enforcement nazis officers, enforcement would not be a problem. Why outsource something and lose a portion of the money to be made when it's easily doable internally?