(Photo: flickr/crchmidt)

We're still waiting to find out just which companies won the 84 city curbside parking spots — Zipcar lost most of them and is down to a dozen, as I reported last Friday, but we don't know much more. DDOT spokesperson John Lisle indicated an announcement is forthcoming. WJLA featured a broadcast here on reactions from Zipcar users as well as on Zipcar general manager Ellice Perez's attempt to find alternative, private parking spots. The Washington Post's Mike DeBonis suggested the bidding is, despite Zipcar losses, a good thing if it's a step toward better determining a fair price for the city's public parking spaces. I agree with that general sentiment.

Zipcar, however, hasn't seemed happy with the process.

A consultant for the company named John Williams expressed doubts to me last week about what awarding the spaces to the highest bidder meant for a company that's built a customer base that's come to rely on the spaces (the move ultimately affects less than 10% of Zipcar's fleet, however, and according to Williams, it shouldn't affect the company's cost structure; they've got more than 800 cars in the D.C. area). Much of Zipcar's entry and domination of the D.C. car-sharing market, which since 2007 has been all theirs, was in part thanks to the work of Gabe Klein, both a former Zipcar executive and until last year, the District's director of DDOT. The curbside parking space's costs have gone from costing Zipcar nothing to $200 a space and now, since Klein's exit, to thousands of dollars. The grace period is over.

It's become big enough news that Zipcar manager Ellice Perez wants to reassure the District's Zipsters that the company is on the case to find replacement spots. She sent local Zipcar members a message to that effect yesterday — and also took a subtle dig at DDOT in the process.

Her message to Zipsters begins by noting that members may have seen some of the recent news about their reduced curbside spaces.

"Here's the story: These spots represent less than 10% of our parking spaces, and we've already identified new homes nearby for your favorite Zipcars," Perez states in the e-mail. "We'll let you know as soon as they move."

Fair enough. It makes sense that the company would want to reassure its clientele. Their ability to serve customers doesn't sound like it'll be greatly affected, and they don't want customers to shy away. Some people already express fear that Zipcar prices will have to rise. Consider the following comment on DeBonis's piece: "I was just about to join Zipcar. Glad I didn't because prices are going to skyrocket." That's a sentiment that spells yikes to a company's manager. Hence a line in Perez's message like "We decided not to get into a bidding war that would result in higher car-sharing prices in the long run." Sounds wise. 

What I love about the message isn't the reassurances though. It's the next line:

As we learn more about the transition of current spots, we'll update you. In the meantime, if you have concerns, please feel free to email Terry Bellamy, Director at DDOT at terry.bellamy@dc.gov or call 202.673.6813.

Hilarious. If you "have concerns," contact Bellamy. The line is a sly way of signaling their displeasure and is cloaked in all the sanitizing language that you'd expect. But there it is. Will the legion of Zipsters rise up against Bellamy and DDOT? Doubtful, but considering the message above, I somehow doubt the company would mind.