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�� �� <br /> congestion on downtown streets. No single elchaustive study of the phenomenon of cruising has <br /> been conducted, but several small studies have been done. Of the studies performed, an average <br /> of 30% (and a high of 74%) of downtown traffic was caused by cruisers. The average cruising <br /> time was about 8 minutes. <br /> Not only is this frustrating to people who are wasting their time by cruising, but this causes <br /> problems for others, too. This adds to the consumption of gasoline and the emission of air <br /> pollution, in addition to creating unnecessary noise and fumes for people on the sidewalks. <br /> Motorists who are not cruising experience unnecessary delays, and extra traffic accidents <br /> probably occur due to the extra driving. Proper parking pricing can reduce or eliminate cruising. <br /> If a space that meets the parker's needs is available as soon as they enter the neighborhood, then <br /> why would anyone cruise? <br /> When all parking is free or pricing is backwards (garages and lots cost more than curbside <br /> spaces), long-term parkers are NOT motivated to park in less desirable off-street parking <br /> facilities. Both Palo Alto and Berkeley are struggling with underused new garages which were <br /> built in an attempt to relieve curbside parking congestion. Palo Alto's parking is a11 free, and <br /> Berkeley's charges are backwazds, with curbside parking costing 50 cents an hour and garages <br /> costing $1.50 to $3.00 per hour. <br /> People tend to feel swindled when they don't get a better deal for using a less desirable product. <br /> This is exacerbated when off-street parking is MORE EXPENSIVE than the prime curbside <br /> spaces. Then people are really motivated to seek the curbside spaces, even if they don't <br /> necessarily need curbside convenience. The obvious outcome is that curbside parking becomes <br /> unbearably congested.` <br /> Permits <br /> Permits are a pricing tool. By offering a discounted rate to people who buy perniits, we are <br /> offering an incentive to park in the areas in which pernuts are valid. In addition to being a good <br /> deal, pernuts aze attractive because of the convenience factor—there is no meter to pay, no <br /> shuffling of cars to worry about, and no risk of a ticket. <br /> Desirable on-street parking should not be a deal. We are not trying to attract people to it. In fact, <br /> it attracts people a11 on its own, because it is the most convenient parking. Permits should be <br /> used to attract people (especially employees and merchants) off of the streets and into off-street <br /> facilities that are less desirable for customers. Offering permit parking is not an obligation of the <br /> City, and should not be viewed as such. Employees, merchants, residents, and other long-term <br /> pazkers should have to compete for parking just like anyone else, and if they don't want to then <br /> they should provide their own private off-street parking, as the zoning ordinance requires. <br /> Rather, parking permits should be viewed as one more pricing tool that can be used to decongest <br /> k It should be noted that the $5.00 per hour price that will be in place in the Jefferson Garage, Marshall Garage, and Middlefield Lot <br /> during evenings and weekends (see Page 27 for more detail) creates a"backwards" situation as described above. Fortunately, <br /> validations will be available which makes these facilities free to parkers with validations, which puts them back into a proper pricing <br /> relationship with the on-street parking. <br /> Page 1 S <br />