{"id":6487,"date":"2023-10-28T19:22:59","date_gmt":"2023-10-28T19:22:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infundpros.com\/business\/why-cities-are-cracking-down-on-free-parking\/"},"modified":"2023-10-28T19:23:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-28T19:23:00","slug":"why-cities-are-cracking-down-on-free-parking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infundpros.com\/?p=6487","title":{"rendered":"Why cities are cracking down on free parking"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\n A small slice of pavement is sparking a turf war in US cities.\n <\/p>\n

\n You probably don\u2019t think much about street curbs. But they are some of cities\u2019 most valuable and busy real estate.\n <\/p>\n

\n There are a slew of users and uses that compete for curb space. <\/strong>Pedestrians crossing. Residents looking for parking. Workers dropping off food and Amazon packages. Buses and school buses. Bicyclists. Pick-ups and drop-offs for people with disabilities. Dogs doing their business. Sidewalk restaurants. Food trucks and food deliveries. Emergency vehicles. Garbage trucks. Electric vehicle charging stations. And more.\n <\/p>\n

\n The Covid-19 pandemic worsened the street-side chaos: outdoor dining sheds opened, package and food deliveries surged, and car and pet ownership spiked. But this prioritized piece of real estate is still primarily designed for one use \u2014 parking \u2014 and it\u2019s often for free. <\/strong>\n <\/p>\n

\n But now, a growing number of cities are trying to make curbs more efficient and accessible for everyone who has a claim to them. The solution, some advocates say, is removing free parking and charging for spots based on demand.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cCurbs are some of our cities\u2019 most valuable assets,\u201d said Chrissy Mancini Nichols, the national director of curb management and new mobility at Walker Consultants, a planning and design firm that advises cities. \u201cThey can be so many more things than where a vehicle sits for free.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cCurb space has become an undervalued free-for-all, and cities are leaving billions in revenue on the table,\u201d Nichols added.\n <\/p>\n

\n Still, much of American infrastructure is designed explicitly for cars over everything else. And for people who drive, business owners who depend on parking around their stores, residents who commute by car and others, eliminating or charging for parking spots at the curb could be a burden.\n <\/p>\n

\n The root of the chaos at the curb stems from free on-street parking, critics say.\n <\/p>\n

\n In New York City, where only 80,000 of its 3 million curb spaces are metered, \u201callocating curb space to free parking in the busiest parts of the city only benefits the minority of New Yorkers who own cars and park on the street,\u201d the city\u2019s Department of Transportation said in a recent report on curb management reform.\n <\/p>\n

\n Until the 1920s, permanent parking in New York City was banned. New Yorkers considered the streets built for transportation, not free car storage.\n <\/p>\n

\n But many cities throughout the country began to bulldoze their downtowns to build more parking lots, which only incentivized car use. Now, 45% or more of the residents in many US cities own cars.\n <\/p>\n

\n And finding a parking spot is often impossible.\n <\/p>\n

\n Drivers searching for a space hold up traffic, pollute the air and can get in accidents. Cars block fire hydrants and occupy bus stops. Delivery trucks double-park. One study in Seattle in 2020 found that delivery drivers waste more than an hour a day looking for parking.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cYou pay for everything else related to cars. The one thing you don\u2019t pay for \u2014 curb parking \u2014 is a mess,\u201d said Donald Shoup, an urban planning professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the dean of parking researchers in America.\n <\/p>\n

\n Demand-based parking
\n<\/h2>\n

\n Parking is a third-rail issue in politics. Drivers and business owners usually rebel at any proposed changes.\n <\/p>\n

\n Cities \u201csquander curbs for free parking for cars because drivers are the people who show up at public meetings,\u201d Shoup said.\n <\/p>\n

\n But the way to alleviate the parking shortage is to charge for spots based on demand, some say. Prices rise when demand for parking is high and drop when it falls.\n <\/p>\n

\n San Francisco, Baltimore, Boston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Seattle and Washington, DC, are among the cities to charge market prices in recent years for on-street parking. New York City\u2019s Department of Transportation is creating a demand-based pricing \u201cproof of concept\u201d this year.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe demands in different business districts and at different times of day suggest we price curbs differently,\u201d said Mike Estey, manager of curbside management for the Seattle Department of Transportation.\n <\/p>\n

\n Seattle adjusts on-street parking rates <\/strong>based on demand \u2014 anywhere from 50 cents to $5 an hour depending on location and time of day \u2014 to achieve a goal of one-to-two free spaces available per block. The city regularly adjusts rates using data on parking occupancy and other metrics.\n <\/p>\n

\n The demand-based pricing policy allows Seattle to better prioritize competing needs at the curb, reduce congestion, and make on-street parking more available. This means that visitors and shoppers can find a parking spot more easily, with less time spent driving around in traffic.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWhat we\u2019re trying to achieve is that the curb is well utilized for the public but visitors can find a space to park,\u201d Estey said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Even if cities managed their on-street parking problems for private vehicles more effectively, bikers, delivery workers, outdoor dining and other uses would still crowd the curb.\n <\/p>\n

\n So some cities are prioritizing these alternative needs, using sensors and other technology to gather data for the first time on how curb spaces are being most utilized.\n <\/p>\n

\n Omaha, Nebraska, and other cities have created \u201csmart loading zones\u201d in the busiest areas of the city where drivers use an app to reserve available spots for loading and unloading goods and are charged based on demand.\n <\/p>\n

\n Cities are trying to manage congestion from deliveries in other ways, too.\n <\/p>\n

\n Los Angeles, Boston, Minneapolis, and Philadelphia are testing cargo bikes to replace delivery vans.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThis bike delivery pilot will support restaurants with an affordable, green, and convenient delivery option while reducing congestion on our streets,\u201d Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in August.\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read the full article here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A small slice of pavement is sparking a turf war in US cities. You probably don\u2019t think much about street curbs. But…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6487","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\nWhy cities are cracking down on free parking | inFundPros<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A small slice of pavement is sparking a turf war in US cities. You probably don\u2019t think much about street curbs. 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