| Ward 3 residents often cite parking
availability as a top concern regarding redevelopment.
Working together, we can do a better
job of managing parking in our urban neighborhood. We already
have a decent supply of parking, so the key is better managment
of the availability of that supply.
There are many innovative solutions and strategies we can
use to address parking problems and increase convenient access
and transportation choices. Learn how other places have addressed
similar concerns:
A few things to keep in mind
when thinking about parking:
1. Parking is not free!
There are always hidden costs -- for example, one space in
an underground garage costs $30,000-50,000 to build. Parking
is generally 20% of the total housing cost.
2. If you build it, they will
drive: The more parking supply provided, the
more car trips are generated, causing more traffic!
(Vehicle miles traveled is the total number of miles
traveled by cars for a specified area)
3. We need to maximize our
public investment in
Metro, buses, and biking/pedestrian facilities. Building too
much parking undermines our investment.
4. Parking is a scarce public
resource that should be equitably allocated.
5. Poorly-managed parking comes
with a high price tag for our environment, traffic, and time.
A planning professor found that cruising for
underpriced curb parking generates 30 minutes of cruising
time per day, amounting to 1,825 vehicle miles traveled a
year per space. Because this cruising adds to traffic that
is already congested, it makes a bad situation even worse.
6. Parking (and the amount, cost, and location of
it) can make or break an urban environment and its economy.
Planners and parking experts have found time and again that
simply building giant parking garages isn't the best way nor
the most cost effective way to address parking demands and
access needs.
6. Ward 3 neighborhoods have
an advantage in managing parking demand due to our
proximity to bus stops and Metro stations. According to the
2000 census, 12% of households in the Tenleytown and Friendship
Heights area (east of Wisconsin, west of Connecticut) don't
own a car. Another 50% only own one car.
7. Support car sharing.
Car sharing offers people in the city the occasional
use of a car without having to own one – an option that
is particularly attractive for those who don’t depend
on their car for getting to work every day. (more
on car sharing)
In DC, there are two companies that offer car sharing, Zipcar
and Flexcar.
It's been shown that every car sharing vehicle, replaces an
average of 14 privately-owned vehicles (either by drivers
who sell their cars or choose not to buy one).
Who manages parking in DC?
Ideally, parking and transportation/traffic
should be managed together,
but in DC they are dealt with by separate agencies. This prevents
holistic, effective management strategies from being implemented.
The DC
Department of Transportation (DDOT) manages parking
in public spaces including on-street parking.
The DC
Office of Planning and Zoning
Commission regulate parking in private spaces
(i.e. underground garages in apartment buildings or office
buildings).
While parking demand from residents,
shoppers and other visitors are treated separately, they are
actually closely linked. Think about our neighborhoods: people
who come to shop at stores on Wisconsin Avenue often park
on residential side streets ("spillover" parking).
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