When I decided to run for City Council, I had lots of conversations with people in Emeryville concerned about traffic.
I have written a few times about this, and yet, after 3 years on the
council, I am not sure that the average person thinks things have
improved. Consider that within the next 20 years, it is projected that
the number of residents in Emervyille will increase from 10,000 to
16,000, according to our General Plan. Where are we/they going to put
all those cars?
I have found a strong consensus through
the transportation planning world about how plentiful, free parking
actually encourages people to use cars when they otherwise might not; free parking is like a car magnet.
Emeryville is different from our immediate neighbors to the north and
south, in that public parking is free here. (Note that some private
parking, like at our hotels and at Bay St. is not free.) I believe that
free and unrestricted parking is part of the reason we have more cars
here than we like. You should also know that we have 20,000 people
working in Emeryville each day. They weigh many considerations as they
decide how they will get here, including the direct cost to them of
driving.
Several years ago (before I joined the council) Emeryville commissioned a study of the North Hollis
area to look at parking issues and solutions, as the streets in this
part of town are very often completely "parked up" on a weekday.
Restaurants and businesses with customers who come and go have
complained people can't find a place to park, and that this could impact
their number of customers and sales. With off-street parking required
to be provided for employees, why is the on-street parking so full all
the time?
Wilbur Smith Associates, who completed the study,
found that people will park where it is most convenient. With free
unrestricted street parking, people will park there first, and when it
is full, find another spot (maybe in a garage). Some people don't have
access to off-street parking as it is private or don't want to park
there as it is costly, and find themselves circling, looking for a spot
on the street. With no time limits on the street, during the day there
is very little turn-over of spots.
By limiting street
parking in non-residential areas with a time limit, we can help people
find spots that are meant for them. This is about managing parking,
not just providing it. We can manage it with time limits or fees. Our
hope is to first put limited time parking zones in places planned out by
the study. The transportation committee, on which I serve, is having a special meeting on Tuesday, December 11, 2012,
at 9:00 am at the Fire Station on Hollis and 63rd St. (6303 Hollis) to
talk about next steps in the parking plan. Eventually, if the city puts
in paid parking on the street, we could use the revenues (once capital
costs are covered, which would likely be within 2 years) to fund
additional pedestrian or bike improvements that would enhance the area
for everybody. This is called a parking benefit district, where the use
of cars and paid parking actually helps to pay for direct improvements.
Right now we taxpayers are all subsidizing those who drive here and park
for free.
Residents need to be protected from other
users spilling over into the areas they depend on for parking. We have
some areas with residential parking permit programs, and the city can
support more if it is warranted.
What is important is to hear from the community
regarding this pending change. I want residents to have residential
parking, I want employees to have employee parking, and customers to be
able to find customer parking. It is great if we can share parking, but I
know we can manage the parking we already have better to be sure each
type of user can have parking when and where they need it.
Emeryville is special in that we have a free shuttle provided by
businesses, property owners, and our city government that gives us a
ride to and from BART, the Emery-Go-Round. With over 1.3 million riders
each year, Emery-Go-Round certainly keeps some cars off our streets. We can build on this service to further encourage people to get to Emeryville without driving their cars.
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