parking

Let's Do Parking Right: A Look at the Evidence

Parking, like traffic, is a recurring theme in local conversation about growth and development. We often hear from some community members that there is nowhere to park in downtown Chapel Hill/Carrboro, that a lack of parking is hurting local businesses, and that the parking minimums required for the Ephesus-Fordham renewal district are insufficient.

But the facts simply don’t support these claims. The reality is that providing more parking – especially surface parking – is fundamentally incompatible with urban land uses.*

Numerous urban planning scholars have researched parking, and their research has consistently confirmed that more parking is not desirable on any metric – unless, that is, you want more people to drive and create more traffic.

UNC to Start (Inequitably) Charging for Evening Parking

According to the Daily Tar Heel, UNC is going to start charging for evening parking this fall. All students will shoulder this cost as an annual $10.40 charge to their student fees. Non-affliated visitors to UNC will pay $2/evening. Nighttime employees will pay an annual fee between $227 (for those with an income of less than $25K/year) to $390 (for those making over $100K/year), which is the same price as daytime permits.

In the article, UNC DPS spokesman Randy Young says:

“The folks who are only working at night, their shift is basically the same as people who work during the day, except that traditionally, they’ve been receiving free parking,” he said. “So they would pay for their parking at night, for their nighttime work, the same way employees during the day have to. In the past, daytime parking permits have essentially subsidized those who park at night.”

Parking in Carrboro

After reading yet another article about the parking "problem" in downtown Carrboro/Chapel Hill, I thought it'd be worth revisiting solutions to this problem. (Or maybe non-problem, I've never had trouble parking in either town, so I don't really know what people are talking about, unless their definition of parking is parking within a 1/10th mile of the business/restaurant they wish to visit).

Paid or Free Parking? Which one?

It's the age old debate. At least around these parts. Which Town parking policy is the best idea? Paid parking in Chapel Hill or free parking in Carrboro? Which policy is working better?

Why can't we use our smartphones to pay for parking in Chapel Hill?

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/02/quickpay-turns-your-smartphone-into-a-parking-attendant/

The biggest hassle in using the town lots, besides finding a space, is paying. With few pay stations there's almost always a line. This would be a lot quicker and easier, and even if it attracted only 25% of parkers that would lessen the line to pay.

Let's have a park-in

If you're not familiar with the recent or past history of Carr Mill Mall management's anti-Carrboro policies, catch up with us at http://orangepolitics.org/tags/carr-mill. I am so frustrated by the attitude that Carr Mill owes nothing to the community that has made them so successful.

A few days ago ago, Damon and I were looking for a place to park in downtown Carrboro. We had a question and asked Hector (the security guard), he gave us a short answer and a slip of paper with the following printed on it (verbatim):

Parking Study Public Forum

VIa e-mail:

The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership is holding a public forum to gather input from the community on the downtown Chapel Hill parking study. Parking has been identified by downtown business and property owners, residents and visitors as one of the top five issues affecting downtown.

The forum will be held at University Presbyterian Church on Thursday, October 30 from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. The church entrance is located at 110 Henderson Street. Parking is available in the Wallace Parking Deck on Rosemary Street. For bus routes and schedules please visit www.townofchapelhill.org/index.asp?NID=397.

The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership hired the parking consulting firm of Rich & Associates to conduct the study. The study includes a current assessment of parking, an analysis of parking supply and demand, as well as parking promotions, management, policies and maintenance. The study makes recommendations on how to improve parking in the downtown.

To view the Parking Study Findings and Recommendations please click here.

To view the detailed Parking Study Recommendations please click here.

This information is also available at the Downtown Partnership's office located at 308 West Rosemary Street, Suite 202. To receive a copy by mail or email please contact the Downtown Partnership at 967-9440 or [email protected].

If you are unable to attend the forum but would like to make comments please contact the Downtown Partnership at 967-9440 or [email protected].

Date:

Thursday, October 30, 2008 - 1:30pm to 3:00pm

Location:

University Presbyterian Church, 110 Henderson Street, Chapel Hill

Planning & Transportation

We'll All Go Down Together

I just got back from Tucson and dropped by Weaver Street Market today for groceries. While the bright white arrows directing traffic seem useful, Carr Mill Mall's new approach to territory does not.

As I got out of my car, one of the guards lectured three twenty-something people on where they could and could not go. As they looked somewhat nervous and a little confused, he explained that their parking space belonged to "this building" and they could only go in "this building" and if they crossed the street or crossed the lot, he would be watching them and he would know and he would tow them. No question about it. If they strayed across that parking lot, there was a towing in their future.

Who doesn't have opinions about parking?

I hear the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership is conducting a survey about parking. They are asking what kind of businesses we visit downtown and how often, where we park (if we drive), how much we want to pay for it (none, duh), and what our opinions are about towing.

They're not clear about whether the survey covers downtown Carrboro as well. They usually say that it is within their sphere of interest, but it will certainly change the results if Carrboro is included, don't you think? Anyway, make up your own mind and go take the survey now.

Meeting the Access Management Challenges of Downtown Carrboro

I was going to try to re-hash the following into a column for the Citizen, but the issue of access in downtown Carrboro has generated so much discussion this week I figure I might as well put this out now. Below the jump is an email I sent to Mayor Chilton and all members of the BOA regarding the broad issue of access to downtown, and a sampling of several Transportation Demand Mangement strategies the town could pursue.

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