For $11.50, you too can have your own parking space

Here's something to keep in mind the next time you're planning to spend a day downtown: For just $11.50, you can rent your very own metered parking space. The rental is good for 24 hours, from 7 a.m. to 7 a.m., and no one else in the world will be able to use the space but you. How's that for power?

The average person doesn't take advantage of the rental option often, probably because few average people need to park somewhere for 24 hours — and if they do, there are plenty of garages downtown. The space rentals are most popular with construction crews or utility companies doing work downtown that need the space to park heavy equipment or contractors' vehicles. Even so, only about 15 of downtown's 2,800 metered parking spaces are usually rented on any given day, Liliana Rambo, the city's assistant director of parking management, told the Chronicle.

For those of us who probably will never rent a downtown parking space, Rambo offered some insight: In a recent TV report, a driver said he returned to his car one morning and found it towed because the city had turned the space where he had parked into a rented space overnight. That's not true, Rambo said: The guy was actually towed because it was parked in the space for more than 14 hours, long after paid parking began for the day at 7 a.m. "You will not get your vehicle towed because we happen to bag a parking meter," she said, referring to the blue bags used to designate rented meters.

If you're interested in renting your very own parking space — or renting one for a loved one, since it is getting close to Christmas — call 713.853.8100.