Ask Perplexity AI: Would It Make Sense for the Town to Offer an Annual Downtown Parking Pass?
Boltwood Garage surface parking. Photo: Google Maps
This column from Ira Bryck is part of a new series entitled “Ask Perplexity AI”. Each column will pose a question to Perplexity AI seeking an analysis of a challenge facing the town. Bryck understands that Artificial Intelligence is not Actual Intelligence, but it’s better than Real Stupid; and like life, it’s garbage in, garbage out. Read previous “Ask Perplexity AI” columns here.
The Prompt
How much does a resident of Amherst, Massachusetts spend per year to park downtown, using ParkMobile, if they are a regular patron of downtown businesses? Would it make sense to offer the community an annual parking pass, that is good value for the individual, and also good income for the town? What would be a fair price for such a pass?
The Answer
Annual Downtown Parking Cost for a Regular Patron in Amherst, Massachusetts
A regular downtown patron in Amherst, MA, using ParkMobile for metered or lot parking, can expect to pay about $312 per year for parking. This estimate is based on the following typical usage pattern:
- Average hourly parking rate: $1.00 per hour (most downtown meters and lots)
- Average visit duration: 2 hours
- Average visits per week: 3
- Weeks per year: 52
Calculation:$1.00×2 hours×3 visits/week×52 weeks=$312 per year$1.00×2 hours×3 visits/week×52 weeks=$312 per year
Would an Annual Parking Pass Make Sense?
For individuals: An annual parking pass could provide convenience and cost savings, especially if priced below the typical pay-as-you-go total. If the pass is set at a discount (e.g., 20–30% off the annual metered cost), it would be attractive to regular users.
For the town: The town would benefit from predictable revenue and possibly increased patronage downtown. Offering a pass could also reduce administrative overhead and encourage local shopping and dining, supporting business vitality.
What Would Be a Fair Price?
A fair price balances value for the user and income for the town. Using a 25% discount as a benchmark:
Estimated fair annual pass price: $312×(1−0.25)=$234$312×(1−0.25)=$234
This price is competitive with other Massachusetts communities (e.g., Northampton’s monthly permits are $45/month, or $540/year), and is higher than the current Amherst resident permit (which is $25–$35/year but limited in scope and not for prime downtown visitor parking). The proposed pass would target frequent downtown patrons, not just residents or employees.
Summary Table
| Scenario | Annual Cost (Pay-as-you-go) | Suggested Pass Price (25% off) |
| Regular Patron (3x/week) | $312 | $234 |
Additional Considerations
- Enforcement hours for most lots and meters are 8am–8pm, with rates of $0.50–$1.00/hour depending on location.
- Current permits are mainly for residents or employees and do not cover all needs for regular business patrons.
- A new annual pass could be structured for broader use, with clear limits (e.g., not valid for reserved spaces or overnight parking).
Conclusion
A regular downtown patron in Amherst, MA, pays about $312 per year to park using ParkMobile. Introducing an annual parking pass at around $230–$240 would offer meaningful savings for individuals and reliable revenue for the town. This price point is fair and aligns with both user value and municipal income goals.
Once someone has an “Annual parking pass”, what would prompt them from leaving a parking spot if there was no time limit? In other words, how would you rotate patrons parking if the “Annual” permit grants them access to any spot they want for any duration? Seems the system would prevent turnover and therefore reduce business as available parking would not be accessible since the annual permits would occupy the spots.
The model doesn’t take into account that the patron would have an annual pass and then deem it permission to park beyond normal visitation. If a patron typically parks for 2 hours on average, what would prevent them from parking for 8-12 hours with their pass.
Unfortunately our Artificial Intelligence did not account for unintended consequences of a well intentioned plan.
Agreed, Artificial Intelligence is not Actual Intelligence. For the time being our human jobs are safe… tomorrow may be a different story.
Also, don’t forget for those of us over 65:
(from Town of Amherst website)
The Senior Center has Senior Parking Stickers that can be purchased by Amherst Seniors who are 65 years of age or older for $25.00 a year. Parking is available up to four hours at a time in the Boltwood garage and in the twelve spaces against the fence east of the Ann Whalen Apartments at 33 Kellogg Avenue. Parking with the sticker is allowed between 8:00 am and 5 pm on weekdays. Additional parking is located across North Pleasant Street behind the CVS pharmacy.
hi Tom,
On the topic of AI taking your job away, many signs point to it’s already happening, eliminating entry level jobs in many industries, and getting better (worse?) daily. I am no fan of the robots taking over, and have discovered how AI can hallucinate, as can people. AI is known as a Large Language Model, meaning it decides on a word to say, then explores a million plus words to decide on the second word, and so on. I know plenty of people who do that, but that’s they are less likely to fix that than AI is.
My favorite AI site for research, perplexity.ai, says inaccuracies are half hallucinating and half bad prompts by the human.
In designing a parking permit discount program, I agree that unintended consequences must be considered, and build a system that is good at preventing waste, fraud, and abuse.
There is no stopping people from hogging parking spots, if they are able. I had a store on a street with meters, and many of those metered spots were often taken by merchants and their employees. As the head of the Retail Division of the Freeport, NY Chamber of Commerce, I snarkily printed up a notice to the merchants and employees to please park in their designated lot. The notice looked a lot like a parking ticket, which was also a factor in the situation improving.
I use downtown Amherst a lot and use Parkmobile constantly, not to mention that I support downtown businesses. I’m only asking if a discount for a frequent parker would be a win/win. I don’t know, and I suspect neither do you.
thanks – hope you’re well