They call their mission "The Cause." And they say it's critical to solving Michigan's woes. Fortunately, though, the solution they have in mind is a simple one, and their name should make it obvious: "Michigan Needs More Parking."
This group has taken to the pages of Facebook and the local media to share their vision for a revitalized state finally relieved of its burdensome parking problem.
"Detroit -- and Michigan’s -- unemployment crisis will only be addressed when we close the parking gap. More parking equals more jobs," the group's Chene Park told Model D media last month. "Parking now or poverty later. It’s really that simple."
Michigan Needs More Parking says the situation is not hopeless, however. They have proposed a series of reforms they say will put the state back on track to financial health. For instance, they re-envision Mackinac Island, the state's beloved car-free tourist destination, as "series of surface parking lots and decks" connected to the mainland by a causeway.
And in 2014, they're planning a voter referendum to "defend the right of parking for every man, woman and child," by enshrining it in the state constitution.
"Remember: we’re never more than one generation away from the end of parking freedom in America," Park says.
New York City's first-in-the-nation congestion pricing tolls are one historic step closer to reality after Wednesday's 11-1 MTA board vote. Next step: all those pesky lawsuits.