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<P><FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial>#8 If parking is really a need - view as
an opportunity and build a parking structure. </FONT><BR><BR><BR></P>
<DIV><IMG style="WIDTH: 111px; HEIGHT: 86px" alt=""
src="cid:156101004@15092006-0d2d"> <BR><FONT size=-2><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: agency fb">mark r. seman, architect</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=-2><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: agency fb">v=928.925.7617
f=928.776.9107</SPAN></FONT><BR></DIV>
<P><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff></FONT><BR>-----Original Message-----<BR>From:
vision2020-bounces@moscow.com<BR>[<A
href="mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com">mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com</A>]On
Behalf Of<BR>robertandjill@verizon.net<BR>Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006
10:56 AM<BR>To: vision2020@moscow.com<BR>Subject: [Vision2020]
Parking<BR><BR><BR>I tried to post this yesterday, didn't seem to go
through. Here are some good thoughts on alleviating the parking
situation.<BR><BR>DRAFT<BR>A MODEST PROPOSAL TO IMPROVE<BR>DOWNTOWN MOSCOW
PARKING<BR>Bill Parks<BR>September 14, 2006<BR><BR><BR>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: <BR><BR>RECOMMENDATIONS<BR><BR>1. Limit all downtown on-street
parking to two hours.<BR><BR>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. <BR><BR>2. Increase enforcement by penalizing drivers for removing or
altering chalk marks. <BR><BR>Here is a quote from the Eugene, Oregon city
code:<BR><BR>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. <BR>(Section 5.276 added
by Ordinance No. 19621, enacted June 12, 1989)<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>3.
Make it a violation to park on the same street for more than two
hours.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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.<BR>(Section 5.265 amended by ordinance No. 16387. enacted February 14,
1972)<BR>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.<BR><BR><BR>4. Accommodate downtown
residents and others by allowing overnight angled parking.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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).<BR><BR>6.
Purchase optical character recognition (OCR) equipment for parking
enforcement.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>7.
Increase peripheral parking opportunities by adding parking lots.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>=======================================================<BR> List
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