Andersen argues City Hall simply shouldn't subsidize car use—especially when the financial prospects are uncertain in an age of Uber, Lyft and self-driving cars.

"It may be that people like me—who think it's possible for us to change the way we move around—are hopelessly idealist, and people are happy to pay for parking and will continue to do so despite all the aggravations of driving and the fact we're destroying the planet by doing so," says Andersen. "And if that's the case, [private businesses] should be able to do that on their own. It doesn't have to be subsidized by the public."