A plan proposed by Mayor David Briley to privatize on-street parking meters in Nashville, which would include higher fines for parking violations, elimination of most free parking times, and expand meters into additional neighborhoods, is extremely unpopular according to a new Tennessee Star/Triton poll. The Briley plan is currently on hold after a lawsuit led to a court order delaying the implementation.
550 Likely Nashville voters were asked their opinion of the Briley parking meter privatization plan: Mayor David Briley has proposed a plan to privatize on-street parking meters in Nashville. Would you be more or less likely to support Briley’s plan to privatize on-street Nashville parking meters if it increases parking fees and fines and also de-creases free parking times and spaces?
7.3% were more likely to support such a plan, 83.1 less likely, 7.2% said it would make no difference, and only 2.4% were unsure.
The survey also indicates that 77.1% would want the Metro Council to reject such a plan, while only 10% supported it. Ultimately the Metro Council would have to approve or reject the Briley plan.
Perhaps more importantly, the issue could have a severe negative impact on Briley’s bid for reelection in August. 63.7% of respondents said they were less likely to support Briley because of his parking meter privatization plan. Only 7.7% were more likely to support Briley based on his parking meter privatization plan; 23.3% said it would make no difference in their vote.
Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill says the on-street parking meter plan proposed by Briley could be toxic to his reelection bid. “In neighborhoods were there are no parking meters right now, this issue could mobilize voters against him that might otherwise be ambivalent,” Gill said. “For others it is just another example of Briley being disconnected with and in opposition to the opinions of Nashville voters, just as was the case with the unpopular transit plan that he advocated for and that voters overwhelmingly rejected. I would certainly expect his opponents to make a big deal out of the issue as soon as they see these poll numbers and confirm them with their own data.”
The Tennessee Star/Triton poll was conducted April 29 -May 1, 2019 and surveyed the opinions of 550 likely voters in Davidson County with a margin of error of 4.2%. The full topline of the poll can be viewed Tuesday morning in The Tennessee Star.
[…] are less likely to vote for him based on his plan. The plan was highly unpopular in the April poll as well. Briley announced in June that he was putting the parking meter privatization scheme on […]
[…] The Tennessee Star reported, Briley’s plan to privatize on-street parking meters, which would include higher fines for […]
Parking meters in neighborhoods? People are going to have to pay to park in front of their own house?? Parking is already a mess and too high. Then we have high rises going up where parking lots used to be, making fewer and fewer spaces. And top it off with the way they gouge people during special events like CMA Music Fest, Titans games, big concerts, etc, charging four or five times the regular rate. Sorry Mayor, we don’t need you to foul it up even more.
CALL your Councilperson! This is just a desperate attempt to get $$ so Briley can give out the raises (Bribes) in his budget and get re-elected.
A conservative mayor would be a great first step in eradicating the infestation of liberalism in that part of Tennessee. Hopefully Nashville residents have awakened and seen the light.