U.S. Parking Policies from Page 30


motorists to spend more time searching or “cruising” for available spots. Studies find that cruising vehicles can represent as much as 40% of traffic. Removing these cruiserswould free up street capac- ity that could be reprogrammed for pedestrians, buses or cyclists, and ensure smoother flow for buses, delivery trucks and other automobiles.


Metering is demonstrably the most


efficient and flexible way to manage curbside demand. However, one- or two- hour time limits represent the majority of applications. Numerous studies show that time limits are difficult to enforce and are thus often ignored. Other studies show that time limits produce longer stays, less turnover and curbs that are 100% occupied.Areas with time limits frequently suffer from double-parking and additional cruising.


During peak travel hours, many


U.S. cities also use curbside parking bans to reallocate curb space from parking to buses and through traffic. This traditional measure is easy to enforce. Some cities restrict curb access to particular types of motorists, usually commercial vehicles and gov- ernment and handicapped permit hold- ers. Unfortunately, widespread abuse of government and handicap permits has been documented in several places.


Curbside / On-street parking best practices • Enforcement: Automated scan-


ning enforcement as employed in Chicago, parts of Virginia and Santa Barbara, California, appears transfor- mative, though in its early stages.Other technology, especially wireless hand- held devices with cameras, has made traditional enforcement more efficient; as has software that automatically issues and tracks parking summonses. • Pricing Policy:Variable or peak-


hourmetering in which the price is set based on a curbside occupancy target of less than 85% is a logical and con- sistent way of managing a congested curb. San Francisco’s SFpark is the largest application of this approach; it also is used in Redwood City, Califor- nia, and in a flexible form by New York City’s ParkSmart.Another effec- tive practice is to both restrict curb access to commercial vehicles and meter them. NewYork City does this in Manhattan and adds an escalating meter fee of $2, $3 and $4 per hour to encourage short stays, high turnover and faster deliveries. • Payment Methods and Meters:


Pay-by-phone is growing rapidly in popularity. Industry experts believe that remote payment will eventually replace meters. In the meantime, the state-of-the-art meters are solar-pow- ered, multi-space meters, which are in wide use across the U.S. • Building Support for Metering


Via Parking BenefitDistricts and Rev- enue Return: In 20 to 30 special park- ing districts, in cities as varied asBoul- der, LosAngeles and SanDiego,meter revenues support streetscape improve- ments to attractmore retail business.


This entire paper can be seen at http://www.itdp.org/documents/ITDP_ U.S._Parking_Report.pdf


See us at the IPI booth #708 32 MAY 2010 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com PT


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