GETTING A PLACE FOR CAR PARKING

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Despite what you may have heard, no one goes to a place solely because it has car parking. In fact, the current obsession with parking any of the biggest obstructions to accomplishing livable cities and cities, because it usually runs counter to what should be our paramount problem: creating places where people enjoy spending time. As long as the misconception persists that monetary prosperity depends upon car parking, local governments will continue to waste materials public money and distort the public planning process.
 

The particular realization that creating a place where people want to come and spend time is more important than parking however eludes many municipalities. Considering and throwing away public money on parking is taking over the general public planning process and consequently parking is taking over our neighborhoods. So how can we put parking in its place and draw people back to public areas?

Planting yourself in the street is a bold way to reclaim car parking spaces, but there tend to be more effective options.

One big step forward is to determine the provide of parking regarding what is actually needed. PPS often works with towns which have excess parking capacity, in which the growing amount of surface a lot and parking constructions has choked out there the very reason people drove there in the first place. In Sodium Lake City, for instance, PPS's land-use map highlighted the extra parking spaces within 1/4 mile of downtown, showing that the real lack was of places for individuals to go, not spaces to park.

This state of affairs comes up when businesses contend with each other to maximize their own parking spaces--to the detriment of the surrounding community and, inevitably, themselves. The hang-up on parking is definitely an indicator that a community has no broader vision for itself. Get businesses and other parties to cooperate artistically with each other, and you could create the sort of parking infrastructure that supports public areas. Here are a few questions to get businesses and public officials speaking about creative new ways to support parking needs with the public's desire to have vibrant public places:

10 QUESTIONS TO HELP ALL OF US GET THE MANY FROM PARKING Is usually it a location worth creating car parking spaces for? Public dollars tend to be invested on large parking areas that provide no tax income and serve businesses that either contend with existing downtown businesses or would better serve the community if located downtown. But why exactly should municipalities use general public funds to subsidize parking spaces for destinations that don't enhance the community in general? Spending the same money to instead make development more appealing and attached to downtown means taxes better spent, space better used, and communities better served. Do the parking spaces really make more people want to visit there? Think of the most famous district in your region - places like downtown Cambridge, MA, or the French Quarter of New Orleans. Is usually it easy to park there? No way! But do people go? You wager! They'll walk 6 blocks from their car to a store, and Enjoy it! Which is to say that folks don't come for an area for the car parking, they come for what's distinct and special about that place. Why should towns create excess parking spaces if all that concrete detracts from the qualities that attracted people in the first place? Several communities who have car parking shortages are actually thriving.

Are car parking regulations being followed? When there shows up to be a parking shortage, the most likely description is that people are simply not obeying parking laws. In the business region of Poughkeepsie, NY, PPS found that over fifty percent the on-street parking was unlawful. Parking turnover studies invariably is an easy, inexpensive way to show where violations are happening and suggest how to impose existing regulations more effectively.

Are there in order to share business car port who have needs at different times of day or week? Parking areas for churches, theaters, restaurants and bars often sit empty during peak hrs, when demand is highest. Can these businesses and establishments be encouraged to let go of their dedicated car parking areas and take benefit of existing close by parking which is available on evenings and weekends? Put another way: Would certainly people be more prone to go to church or the theater or a restaurant when they noticed their destination as simply "downtown" and could easily visit more than one place per trip?

Where do employees park? Whether they have the same shifts, can they carpool? Retailers and their employees constantly take on-street spots early each morning and feed the meters all day. They should be encouraged to instead park in municipal parking lots, carpool, or take transit. These options can be made more attractive by designating off-street spots, creating employee incentive programs, or implementing shorter meter times. Will be the timing and pricing of meters enhanced for every location? Various sections of the same street may have varying parking needs. The meters in front of a post office, for instance, may provide two whole hours of parking time, but only require ten minutes. Some parking spaces should be more expensive to encourage high turnover. Again, car parking turnover studies can inform more appropriate regulations that fit the context of the street. Are there satisfactory sidewalks and pedestrian amenities connecting off-street parking areas to downtown streets? The walk to downtown shopping areas from many municipal parking lots and garages is so abysmal that many people won't park there. Though such lots may provide important quantities of parking, they will be underutilized if the walk from the car is poorly lit, boring, uncomfortable, or downright hazardous.

Are there opportunities for curved parking? Lane widths in downtowns and on commercial roads need only be 8-10 feet, rather than the standard 12-plus feet. This means that many commercial roads are wide enough to accommodate angled parking in some sections. Angled car parking can fit almost 50 percent more cars than parallel parking, and it also calms traffic, creating a more secure environment that's more conducive to people use.

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