The fact of the matter is that free parking is a subsidy to everyone using the free parking. That parking lot represents land that can be capitalized for other purposes. Letting people use it for free is inefficient as people are not paying the full costs of their choice of location. The social cost of free parking is paid for by everyone, not just the people using it. With the paid parking, the people using it pay for it. Not people like me who live downtown and don't use it.
If you can't afford the extra $200 a month then you need to move somewhere that will save you that $200. Maybe you don't own a house then and maybe you rent closer to a transit line.
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