[Vision2020] Parking

Thu Sep 14 21:19:56 PDT 2006

#8  If parking is really a need - view as an opportunity and build a parking
structure.

mark r. seman, architect
v=928.925.7617   f=928.776.9107

-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]On Behalf Of
robertandjill at verizon.net
Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006 10:56 AM
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] Parking

I tried to post this yesterday, didn't seem to go through.  Here are some
good thoughts on alleviating the parking situation.

DRAFT
A MODEST PROPOSAL TO IMPROVE
DOWNTOWN MOSCOW PARKING
Bill Parks
September 14, 2006

Many downtown merchants view the downtown Moscow parking situation as
serious and threatening to their businesses. Without attempting to assign
blame, here are some suggestions:

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Limit all downtown on-street parking to two hours.

Although making parallel parking spots one hour and angle parking two hour
has many advantages, it might be too confusing for visitors. Two hour
parking provides plenty of time for many downtown patrons. Those that need
more time could park in the three-hour Jackson Street lot.

2. Increase enforcement by penalizing drivers for removing or altering chalk
marks.

Here is a quote from the Eugene, Oregon city code:

5.275    Authority to Mark Vehicles. A police officer parking control
officer or community service specialist may mark motor vehicles that are
parked, standing, or stopped to aid in the enforcement of parking
regulations. Such mark shall be made by chalk upon the tires of the vehicle
or by some other convenient method that will not injure or damage the
vehicle. Marks so placed shall not be interfered with, concealed or
obliterated or erased by any person other than a police officer, parking
control officer, or community service specialist while the vehicle remains
parked, standing or stopped at the place where the vehicle is marked.
(Section 5.276 added by Ordinance No. 19621, enacted June 12, 1989)

Such a change, particularly if it carried with it a citation more severe
than an overtime violation might help in reducing the incidence of downtown
scofflaws.

3. Make it a violation to park on the same street for more than two hours.

This proposed ordinance or code would keep a driver from re-starting the
time by moving the car up and down the street, but would allow the car to be
moved to another street to re-start the parking limits. Although speaking of
blocks instead of streets, the Eugene Code addresses the issue.

5.265   Parking Time Limit. Maximum parking time limits designated by sign
for a block shall apply to parking in the block not merely to parking in one
or more particular parking spaces in the block. No person in charge of a
vehicle may extend the permissible time for parking the vehicle in the block
by causing the vehicle to be moved from one parking space to another in the
block without being removed from the block. The operator of the vehicle or
its registered owner shall be regarded as prima facie in charge of it.
(Section 5.265 amended by ordinance No. 16387. enacted February 14, 1972)
It is important that downtown parking be reserved for local business
patrons, and not become a "backdoor" route for providing employee parking.
Forcing those that work downtown to park outside the downtown area will
benefit the entire city by improving downtown business health. A healthy
downtown business district needs parking regulations that cause citizens to
obey both the letter and the spirit of the regulations.

4. Accommodate downtown residents and others by allowing overnight angled
parking.

There are about 130 downtown residents (about the same as New Saint Andrews
Students) yet their needs are seldom considered. In addition to residents,
there may, from time to time, be downtown revelers that should not drive
their cars until the next morning. The city street department may complain
that it needs to have no overnight parking to facilitate snow removal. Since
there will be no overnight parallel parking, angle parking can be signed for
snow removal and the two-hour parking allowance insures that by 10:00 AM all
angle parking cars will be moved. It is time to do something good for
downtown residents. The street department could work out an accommodation
with downtown residents' needs.

5. Rent reserved parking spaces for businesses that need to have a delivery
vehicle or realtors that might need to have a vehicle ready to transport
clients to a property.

The city should make some accommodation for businesses that do not have
their own parking spaces but need immediate access to a vehicle in the
normal course of their business. The number of spaces available for each
business should probably be limited to some fraction of those employed in
the business. For instance, a rented space might be made available for every
five employees or fraction thereof. The rented spaces can be flagged for
certain vehicles and others parking in the space would be subject to
penalties. License plate numbers could be used to validate authorized users.
(See below).

6. Purchase optical character recognition (OCR) equipment for parking
enforcement.

OCR software and hand held computers speed up parking enforcement and
drastically reduce errors. They will also eliminate many other traffic
problems. Stolen cars, offenders, etc. can all be easily identified and
appropriate actions taken.  Revenues from parking tickets should increase
until those parking in downtown are convinced to obey regulations.

7. Increase peripheral parking opportunities by adding parking lots.

Revenue from downtown parking and rented spaces may not be enough to provide
sufficient revenue to purchase and maintain more parking lots. The
University of Idaho now requires permits in formerly free university lots
and also has been allowed to rent parking on city streets to fraternity and
sorority residents. As a result, frugal students, staff and faculty who
formerly could park around campus are more likely to be parking on
residential streets between campus and downtown. Moscow should request that
all or most of the university's purple permit revenue be turned over to
Moscow for purchase of additional parking lots between downtown and the
university. Some would consider it unfortunate that the university has
removed parking for Moscow citizens that pay local taxes and instead
reserved the parking for students that pay no local taxes. This imbalance
needs to be redressed. Additional revenues from parking violations, reserved
spaces, and U of I purple parking permits and other sources should be
earmarked for parking lots and enforcement costs.

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