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January 5, 2013
Shoup Weighs in on Portland Parking
International parking thought leader Donald Shoup ("The High Cost of Free Parking") has offered some thoughts on Portland's debate about apartment buildings with no off-site parking in an op-ed in the Oregonian.
Shoup's ideas are always thought-provoking, but his suggestions here get at a key distinction: car ownership and storage versus car use.
Portland's existing parking permit districts typically provide enforcement from 8AM until the early evening, targeting people who are driving to a district.
Shoup is suggesting permits to regulate overnight parking, which targets the ownership and storage of cars, not where you use them to drive to.
Fascinating.
Posted by Chris Smith at 8:21 AM
Comments
January 7, 2013 1:50 PM
Doug Allen Says:
I think Shoup's proposal is well-suited for Portland. It will need a few details filled in, such as how to allow overnight guests, but there are plenty of obvious ways to permit that.
There is also the equity issue of who gets to buy the permits, and how many. Must one own a registered vehicle? Can the permit be rented to others?
Also, the income should be used, among other things, to improve transit service to the neighborhoods with permits.
The great feature of Shoup's proposal is that it targets the true problem, which is not the lack of parking at the new buildings, but the cars that may be owned by the new residents.
