Nate Rau, THE TENNESSEAN

Davidson County residents who drive a hybrid or
fuel-efficient car would be allowed to park free at
city meters under a proposal from two Metro
Council members dubbed "Drive Green, Park Free."

Council members Jason Holleman and Mike Jameson
filed the ordinance Friday with the Metro Clerk's
office. The proposal has the support of County Clerk
John Arriola, whose office would issue free parking
stickers to residents with cars qualifying as fuel-
efficient according to federal standards.

"Nobody has the ambition that this alone is going to
revolutionize Nashville's environment," Jameson
said. "But that is a huge problem we're going to have
to come at from 1,000 different ways, and this is
one more item in our arsenal that puts fuel
efficiency and air quality on the public radar."

Under the proposal, an owner's vehicle would
receive a score on a 1-18 scale based on the federal
Environmental Protection Agency's green vehicle
guidelines. Any vehicle receiving a score of 16 or
better, which includes hybrids, biodiesel vehicles
and some fuel-efficient compact cars, would qualify
for a sticker entitling them to free parking at a city
meter. The longest amount of time a driver can stay
at a meter is three hours. The exact cost of the
sticker has not been determined, according to
Holleman, who said the price would be less than $5
annually.

Holleman said he was investigating whether the
program could be offered to commuters who work
in Nashville but live outside of the county.

"We are excited about this innovative program,"
Arriola said. "I look forward to working with the
Metro Council to help bring this green opportunity
to the citizens of Nashville."

Mayor Karl Dean's environmental advisory panel, the
Green Ribbon Committee, recommended the
measure in its December 2009 report as a way to improve the city's air quality.

Possible downside

Other cities, such as Albuquerque, N.M., and San
Antonio, have adopted such a policy.

"It is a small step, and some may at first glance think
it is insignificant," said Diane Mulloy, president of
Memphis-based Milagro Biofuels and a member of
the Green Ribbon Committee. "But it helps establish
the city's values relative to clean, alternative energy.
We should reward those who make these good
choices, which benefit the whole community."

The downside to the proposal is that Metro would
sacrifice an unknown amount of parking meter
revenue in order to implement the measure.

Councilman Ronnie Steine, who chairs the
legislative body's Budget and Finance Committee,
questioned the fiscal impact the lost parking
revenue would have on the city.

"It sounds like it's well-intentioned, and I think
providing incentives for things like this is not a bad
way to go," Steine said. "We just need to make sure
we're not doing great damage to anything else."

Holleman admitted he didn't know how many
Nashville vehicles would qualify for the program.
There had been 1.6 million hybrid vehicles sold in
the United States through the end of 2009, according to federal data.

The council members elected not to include free
parking at city-owned lots, such as the parking
garage at the historic Metro
Courthouse.

"If we can get a foot in the door with respect to
parking meters, then that's a start," Jameson said.

The proposal was met with approval by Morgan
Zuehlke, who lives and works in the Germantown
neighborhood. Zuehlke, who drives a Toyota Prius,
the most popular hybrid car, said she uses city
meters at least once per week. "That sounds great, I
love the idea," Zuehlke said. "The less dependent we
can be on big oil companies, the better off we all
are."

Dean's spokeswoman, Janel Lacy, said the mayor
had not seen the legislation and believed "the most
prudent course would be to conduct a cost-benefit
analysis of any policy change that impacts city
revenue before moving ahead."