Intersection

Paid parking on the Strip may be a necessary evil

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Black Friday already overfloweth with irony, but imagine my surprise on November 25 when it took me only minutes to park at a neighborhood mall, followed by a flummoxing 40-minute shuffle between three different properties in an attempt to take visiting family on the High Roller. After being denied access to the Linq Promenade lot (rented out by some company) and the Linq and Harrah’s garages (both full), I said two things to my boyfriend: 1. “There’s no way the Caesars properties are going to keep parking free for long.” And 2. “The walk from Venetian isn’t too bad, right?”

Four days later, Caesars unveiled initial details to implement paid parking at all of its Vegas resorts except the Rio. The next day Wynn Resorts announced it will soon begin charging for valet. Cue the usual hand-wringing from locals, who dismissed or glossed over news of their exemption from paid self-parking at both Caesars and Wynn. Much like protestations earlier this year after MGM Resorts announced plans to charge for parking, they swore to gamble elsewhere.

I suspect most of those local boycotters weren’t already gambling at Caesars properties—and if they were, it was hardly with amounts that would concern the gaming company, which justified its new program by explaining that parking availability has decreased at its properties, boasting evidence that many drivers weren’t even stepping foot in their casinos. So, really, can you blame them?

Yes, say the perennial blamers, who also tend to bemoan traffic, a lack of public transportation, fewer central green/park spaces and our dismal education system—and then howl at the first suggestion of taxes that would fund their improvements. Channeling Jim Morrison, they want the world and they want it now—but they sniff at paying for any of it. They’ll claim that free parking is a Vegas birthright. It’s not. It’s just another Vegas tradition that became unfeasible for casinos, like cheap breakfasts, buffets and shows. The more we clamor for both quantity and quality, the more it’s going to cost us, period.

Casinos are getting stingier (and more expensive), and they often make head-scratching moves (especially Caesars, currently in bankruptcy negotiations). But with record visitors and a growing population, paid parking might be a necessary evil—as it is in most large cities.

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