D. Shoup of UCLA argues that minimum parking space requirements are a bad thing because they distort the real cost of parking, and the space that parking uses, to create a more car heavy environment than what is socially optimal. His rough calculations finds that the value of all parking spaces in the U.S. exceeds the value of all automobiles in the U.S.! Holy shitloads of free parking, Batman! What do you think about that?
Hmm… I was thinking more along the lines of: if you want people to drive the cars they have less than they do, then you should make parking much much cheaper, since parking is a perfect substitute to driving. 
Of course, that also reduces the cost of owning a car. I’m just being silly.
and a good third of those spaces are (never-used) handicap-only spaces.
In a city (Like NYC) parking is basically non-existant already. I live in a town near NYC which has 2 distinct ‘shopping- zones’. One is a strip mall and the other is a town center. I avoid the town center becasse it’s hard to park there. THis is what I think will happen if min parking is elimiates - people will go to where they can still park. Stores with parking will out sell those w/o.
Again as in the other thread I think cars are self limiting (cars can only support a certain population density).
Mass Transit is sort of a 2 edge sword as it allows much higher population densities then cars alone could but can eliminate some cars. I think a solution could be a tax on gas (and possibly parking) in areas served by mass transit that would subsidise mass transit. This way if you live and work where mass transit is available and you drive you most likely would have to pay the tax. If you live or work where mass transit is not available at one or both locations you should be able to fill up in the area not served by mass transit and save the tax.
One problem I see with this is if the mass transit system doesn’t provide a reasonable connection (if you have to travel 20 miles into the city then 20 miles out just to go 5 ‘net’ miles.) -perhaps they could apply for a rebate.
Yes, this parking thing is definitely one of the big ways that the costs of using our cars is externalized from its use leading us to overuse them.