January 6,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj, Are increased meter rates killing down town Ridgewood more than the precised lack of parking ? Both Glen Rock ,Westwood both have lower parking rates Ridgewood and similar down town shopping districts or Central Business districts ( CBD’s ) .
The funny thing was given all the metered parking in the USA there is very little written on the effect of parking fees on shopping behaviors . We did find a pretty in depth study done in Massachusetts by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) which we will refer to in this article.
First it obvious to us that parking fees are only one of many variables in attracting shoppers to a CBD and creating a successful climate for merchants.
Rents, resident demographics , types of retail, destination locations and infrastructure all play a part.
The MAPC makes to interesting points about parking fees :
If free on-street parking means there are never any spaces available, charging for parking can improve business. The inability to find a parking space can be at least as much of a deterrent as the need to pay for one, so if charging a nominal fee for parking means that there are usually a few spaces available rather than there rarely being any spaces available, this may make the area more attractive to customers.( https://www.mapc.org/resources/parking-toolkit/strategies-topic/charging-parking )
In order for charging for parking to be effective, it must free up some parking spaces, which means it must impact travel behavior and reduce demand for parking. The question is whether discouraging people from parking discourages them from visiting the area, or simply encourages them to get there another way. Some possible impacts of charging for parking are given below. Whether potential shoppers who might be deterred by the price of parking are driven away or whether they simply find other ways to get there will depend in part on the availability and appeal of alternate ways to get to the area. ( https://www.mapc.org/resources/parking-toolkit/strategies-topic/charging-parking )
Again the key finding :
A large part of whether charging for parking will negatively impact businesses depends on how attractive the district is relative to other options. If there is a popular mall a short drive away providing many of the same goods and services with free parking, that can increase the likelihood that people will go elsewhere. On the other hand, if the downtown provides enough amenities and attractions – such as restaurants, bars, and appealing outdoor spaces – that cannot be replaced by a mall or isolated shopping center, the downtown is more likely to succeed.( https://www.mapc.org/resources/parking-toolkit/strategies-topic/charging-parking )
But an even more interesting conclusion about garage vs street parking :
Many people prefer to park in on-street parking rather than an off-street lot or garage because of the convenience. If off-street parking is limited or is primarily available as pay lots or garages while on-street parking is free, drivers will tend to circle blocks repeatedly looking for an open space on the street rather than paying to park. This congests streets with unnecessary traffic and pollutes the air with unnecessary emissions. It also means that expensive garages in which the municipality may have invested a significant amount of money may be underutilized and generate less revenue than expected. In this type of situation, implementing charges for on-street parking is critical to free up on-street spaces, encourage drivers to use pay lots or garages, and reduce “cruising” for parking. If off-street parking is priced, on-street parking should be priced as well, and should ideally be priced higher than structured parking. If off-street parking is mostly free surface lots and there is rarely a shortage of spaces available, low prices may be effective in encouraging people to use off-street options where available if convenience is not a top priority. ( https://www.mapc.org/resources/parking-toolkit/strategies-topic/charging-parking )
Nice post! Agreed that leaving on-street parking free and off-street parking paid is not a good balance. That’s why there is so much circling for free on-street parking in places like New York or San Francisco c
Also agree that fees reduce parking demand by some amount. Just like all taxes/fees. (More folks likely to walk than drive for example, or use Uber!) Since parking is a scarce resource, it makes sense to charge for it if it’s often full, like in Ridgewood.
So what’s a good solution? Charge more for on-street than off-street parking. Implement increased rates now to make sure demand doesn’t fall off a cliff. Then build more parking if needed.
John V, are you related to Paul Vagianos?
I think an ice hockey rink would be a better use of that space
What happens when they find PCBs buried under the old Brogan Cadillac site? Who pays for that soil remediation?
A Performing Arts Center would be a better use of this money
John V, Ridgewood parking is not “often full”
Building more parking is stupid, use uber before you drink and drive
8:27am-
Definitely not related to Paul Vagianos. If you are on any of the Ridgewood facebook groups, I’m the same John V that posts a lot there.
8:35am-
Sorry, you are correct, I was being imprecise. Parking overall is not “often full”, data and experience indicates that there are always spots available, particularly on the eastern half of downtown.
A better phrase would be “parking is often difficult”. This is particularly true on the western edge of downtown at night and sometimes during the day, and with street parking in particular. Thus, the proposal is to build more parking on that side of town.
John V are you coming to the meeting tonight? I would like to hear you speak on the positives of this garage
12:41pm-
Would love to attend, but young kids prevents me from getting out tonight. I have already sent the council my views on the garage.
This mistake is guaranteed to go 30%-50% over budget. The Council knows this, and yet they don’t care. The Village Manager knows this, and yet she doesn’t care. My kids won’t park in this garage because they’ll all be using uber and lyft to go out for fancy weekend dinners when they’re adults…. Again, this Council and Manager are too stupid to understand that.