15211.org

Someone new to the 15211 commented on the message boards about her/his inability to find on-street parking in Mt. Washington. I myself noticed that parking has been more of a commodity lately than it was in the past.  To what do we owe this problem? More renters than owners? More multi-car families? Whatever the reason, parking dominates a lot of discussions about living and working in urban areas. I came across an article written a few years back about UCLA Professor, Donald Shoup, who believes the remedy to a lack of parking is actually making less free parking available. Doesn’t seem to make sense on the surface, but he breaks the problem down into simple supply and demand. Here’s an excerpt:

The city (LA) faced a common problem: Parking was free, but the few merchants who were still in business complained that it was inadequate. The people who worked in the stores took most of the spots, leaving customers to drive around searching for one - or just staying away. Meanwhile, the city had a vision of a revitalized downtown but no money to repair sidewalks, plant trees, increase security or take any of the other steps necessary to attract people.

Shoup recommended charging enough for parking to maintain an 85 percent occupancy rate and using the money shoppers dropped in the meters to improve the neighborhood. The revenue couldn’t go into the city’s general coffers; it had to be spent on the streets.

Once that happened, the business community started to invest, too - even sandblasting and renovating derelict buildings - and soon the shop owners, who had initially opposed meters, wanted to charge for parking until midnight. They wanted the money for the improvements, but they also discovered that their fears about scaring away customers were unfounded - anyone who really wanted to shop or eat in the area was willing to invest a few quarters.

As the area became more popular, the meters raised more money for more improvements, which increased the popularity. And so on. The city now collects one million dollars a year to pay for upkeep that includes sweeping the sidewalks nightly and steam-cleaning them twice a month.

I know that this doesn’t solve the parking issue in residential areas. It’s just interesting to think about parking a little differently than we have been when we talk about development. It seems to be the first thing opponents decry, and to quell their fears, developers respond by adding more parking. As it turns out, more isn’t necessarily better.