Pricing
Many merchants mistakenly believe free parking attracts the most customers. In reality, parking is a scarce resource that should be appropriately priced to encourage desired levels of use. In commercial areas, on-street and off-street rates and parking duration limits should be finely tuned to parking demand, to encourage turnover of spaces, which helps support retail sales. For example, rates may increase significantly after two hours or duration may be set at 2-3 hours. Retail employees are thereby discouraged from occupying the most convenient spaces, perhaps being directed to another mode, or to less expensive spaces in a parking facility or a less busy street. Ideally, rates between on-street and off-street spaces should be similar, with the most convenient spaces priced the highest. This is contrary to the usual practice, where parking meter rates are minimal and spaces in parking structures are set far higher, reflecting the cost of providing them. This results in drivers “cruising” for parking, adding significantly to traffic and pollution.
Disrupting the Pedestrian Environment
Parking lots and off-street parking spaces almost always present obstacles for pedestrians. This photo (below) of the Park Slope neighborhood in Brooklyn proves that even modest off-street parking can deter those on foot. Constructed in 1908, the building on the left forms a safe, continuous pathway for walkers. The block on the right was built in the 1980’s, with greater parking requirements; vehicles cross the sidewalk at multiple points. The neighborhood shifts from “pedestrian-oriented to car-oriented as the pedestrian environment is undermined”
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