AgdaPkt 2005-06-06 - Laserfiche WebLink

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d,�- io Currently, this system is underused and is more than enough for our needs. At our peak of activity, which is lpm on weekdays, only 69% of those spaces are occupied. During the dot-com craze, that figure was 78°Io, which was still far below the 85% that is considered ideal. Figure 2 on Page 34 shows the current usage of Downtown public parking during the Noon hour. The table below shows current peak hour use by facility type. Current Average Downtown Parking Occupancy During Fridays at 1:OOpm Public and Private Parkin Total Number of Occupancy Area S aces S aces Occu ied Rate On-Street, Broadwa 87 85 98% On Street, All 1,229 853 69% Ci Lots and Gara es 752 469 62% Other Public Lots and Gara es 878 508 58% Private Lots and Gara es 1,605 992 62% Downtown Totals 4,464 2,822 63% Although we have a sizable surplus, it doesn't always feel like we have a parking surplus. On- street spaces on Broadway, which are the most desirable spaces in the district, are at or neaz 100°Io occupancy a11 day long. This means that people who really want them probably cannot get them. However, right around the corner, within a very comfortable walk, there are usually plenty of empty spaces. Does this mean we have a shortage (as the motorist may perceive it) or a management problem? At night, the crunch is amplified. All meters shut down at 6:OOpm and time limits are not in effect. On many evenings this makes sense. There is no competition for parking, so there is no need to manage it. However, when there is significant activity at the Fox Theatre, currently our main nighttime activity generator, Broadway and all side streets are completely congested. The Winslow lot (behind Pizza and Pipes) is completely filled. Meanwhile, two blocks away, on- street spaces sit empty, and the Marshall Garage sits nearly empty. Due to the lack of parking management, prime spaces near the Fox are more congested during the evening, despite the fact that there aze fewer cars in Downtown competing for them. See Fi�ure 3 on Page 35 for a graphic depiction of current evening parking use. Why is this? Parking management compels people to distribute themselves away from prime parking areas. Time limits do this by capping the visit time at an hour or two, after which time one must leave, freeing the space for someone else (this is referred to as "turnover"). Pricing does this by making people pay for prime parking (which deters employees from sitting there all day) and by luring bargain hunters away from the core with better deals in garages and peripheral azeas. Without these mechanisms in place, parking congestion will (and does) occur, no matter how many parking spaces there are. The Parking Situation After the Openin� of "On Broadwav:' After the "On Broadway" retaiUcinema project is completed and open for business, demand for parking will rise appreciably. In addition, the nature of that parking demand will change. While there will still be a major spike of activity at the noon hour on weekdays, the new peak of pa�e 4