Agenda - Planning Commission - 07/09/2009

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Parking Management Be?t Practices: M'aking Efficient Use of Parking Resources By Todd Litman Until. recently, most planners assumed that-as much as possible-parking should be abundant and free. \ Planning focused primarily on maximizing supply by applying generous minimum requirements and public subsidies of parking facilities. But there is growing realization thatthis approach can be harmful and that alternative management: solutions are often better' ov~rall. Transportation professionals are now thinking about vehicle parking problems and evaluating solutions. in new ways. Parking management refers to policies and programs that result In mote efficient use' of parking resources.There are morethan two dozen parking manageme[it strategies that, when appropriately applied, can significantly reduce the parking supply required in a particular situation and provide other economic, social, and environmental benefits, as summarized in the "Parking Management Benefits" sidebar. When all impacts are considered, improved management is often the best solution to parking problems. This article describes how to adjust parking planning practices to take advantage of man- agement solutions. It is part o'f efforts by researchers and professional organi- zations to develop parking management guidance and evaluation tools, HOW MUCH IS OPTIMAL? Parking management changes the way we determine optimal parking sup- ply. Most parking supply decisions are currently based on recommended. minimum standards pUblished by professional organizations such as the Institute ofTransportation Engineers. The current standards tend to be economically excessive. To ap- preciate why, it is helpful to know a little about bow these standards are . developed. They are based on parking demand surveys; most of which were performed in automobile-dependent locations. They reflect an 85th percen- . " " tile curve, which means that only 15 out of 100 sites will be fully occupied even during~peak periods. Peak period is based on the 10th to 20th design hour, which refers to the number of annual hours that demand is allowed to exceed supply at a particular location: A parking facility is considered full if it has 85 to 90 percent occupancy. These assumptions ensure that most parking facilitie"s seldom or never fill. The standardstend to be excessive where parking is shared or priced; if overflow parking is available nearby; in areas with multimodal transport systems; where land Costs are high; and where management programs are implemented. This process issaid to measure parking demarid, but demand is ac- tually a function: the quantityof a good that consumers would pur:chase at a given price. Most parking surveys are performed Wh-ere parking is free, which is equivalent to asking how much food a store can givE(away. To truly measLl"re demand, the analysis must determine hOW rnuch parking would be used under various prices and conditIons. For ex.ample,rather 66 . Facility cost savings. Reduces costs to governments, businesses, de. . velopers, and consumers. . Improved quality of service. Many strategies improve ~ser quality of service by providing better information, increasing user options, reo ducing congestion, and creating more attractive facilities. . 'More flexible facility location and design. Parking management gives architects, designers, and planners more ways to address parking requirements. . Revenue generation. Some management strategies generate revenues that can fund parking facilities, transportation improvements, or other important projects. . R~duces land consumption. Parking management can reduce land requirements and so helps to preserve green spaceand other valuable ecological, historic, and cultural resources. . supportsmobility man~gemenL Parking management"is an impor- tant component of efforts to encourage more efficient transportation patterns, which helps reduce problems such as traffic congestion, roadwayc:osts, pollution emissions, energy consumption, and traffic accidents. . Supports smart growth. Parking management helps create more ac- cessible and efficient land-use patterns and 'supports other land.use " planning objectives. . Improved walkability. By allowing dustereddevelopment and build- ings located closer to sidewalks and streets, parking management helps create more walkable communities. . Supports transit. Parking "management supports transit oriented devel' opme~t and transit use. . Reduced stormwater management costs; less water pollution and heat island effects. Parking management can reduce stcirmwater flow, water pollution, and solar heat gain. . Supports equity objectives. Managementstrategies can reduce the need for parking subsidies and improve travel .options for nondrivers. . More livable communities. Parking management can help create more attractive urban environments. than saying, "This site requires 100 parking spaces," a planner could say, "This site requires 100 spaces ifthey are free, 80 spaces if priced at $2 per day, 60 spaces.if priced at $5 peTday, and 50 spaces if priced at $5 per day and a com.mute trip reduction pro- gram is implemented." Most areas have economicallyexcessive parking supply. For example, a parking demand study of Southem California suburban offices foundthat conventional standards are nearly twice as high as ZONINGPRACTlCE 6.09 . AMERICAN PlANNING ASSOCIATION Ipage 2