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The Future of Parking in Broward County Part 2

A guide for the development of a County Parking Policy

A report to the Transportation Planning and Air Quality Divisions of the Broward County Department of Planning and Environmental Protection

Continued from Part 1

Fine-tuning parking requirements
The City of Weston has modified its codes to allow fine-tuning of parking requirements based on the actual anticipated use of a commercial or industrial property, rather than using a one-size fits-all formula based on the square footage of the building. With today's technology a very large warehouse transshipping facility can operate with very few employees and few customers coming to the site requiring very little parking. An electronics assembly plant might require more than the formula amount. Allowing the parking requirements to be adjusted to the actual need benefits the property owner and the community by not wasting space with unnecessary asphalt.

Similarly, planning codes should recognize the differences created by demographics and economics in residential parking requirements. Presently, parking codes require apartments or condos to have X number of parking spaces per unit. Some might modify that based on the number of bedrooms per unit. None of this acknowledges that many upscale units in Broward County are second or third homes. Even if it is a primary residence for someone who has other residences or who travels a great deal, they are not parking there every day, every week. Generally, the larger and more expensive the unit, the more likely this is to be true. To cite a dramatic but by no means unique example, a very prominent professional athlete (who is not with a local team) owns a large unit in a prominent Fort Lauderdale beach condominium. He is not there every day; he does not drive to work every morning. Parking and traffic regulations should reflect these demographic variations.

Trips Rates
The "Trip Rates by Purpose" data sheet, dated July 7, 1998, is distributed by Broward County's Planning Department to assist developers and planners in predicting the number of trips that a new development could place on the neighboring road system. Under the residential category of "High Rise," each dwelling unit is predicted to create 0.74 trips per day from "home-based work," nearly 1 trip for "home-based shopping," two trips for "home-based other trips" and 0.42 "non-home-based trips."

Using these numbers, we could observe 100 high-rise units and expect 74 trips generated by home businesses, 96 trips for shopping, 207 other trips and 42 other trips that are not home-based. In total, there are 419 predicted trips. Yet, the unit owned by the professional athlete is outside this model. If many of his friends join him in the building as second-home owners, the 100 units might generate fewer than 200 trips per day.

As long as the increase in residential units continues to be at the high end, economically, many new owners will not be the full-time residents who enter traffic 50 weeks out of the year. The full-time population of Fort Lauderdale might not increase significantly, and certainly a lot less than the 40% growth anticipated in the entire county from 2000 to 2015.

In short, the demographics of the residents of a particular building ought to have some influence on how the Trip Rates schedule and parking requirements are interpreted.

Car sharing
There are a number of sophisticated car pooling or car sharing ideas in various stages of development. These eventually involve using technology to facilitate sharing of vehicles in several ways. Another way of looking at these concepts is to expand the car rental at an airport model to other situations and locations. For example, you could take public transportation to work but if you needed a car during the day, even on short notice, one would be available either in your building or in the area. Larger corporations and local governments presently use such arrangements (providing a vehicle pool for use by employees) but it would not be a difficult step to make it more widespread, reducing inbound and outbound rush-hour traffic as well as parking loads.

Taxicabs
Another very old "technology" exists for avoiding local trips in urban areas - taxicabs. In some very dense urban areas - New York City and Washington, D.C., for example -- they are widely used by many people who wouldn't dream of using their car to drive from place to place in the city. In Broward County, cabs are used largely by tourists, the disabled, and by those who cannot afford a car. Even with the free downtown TMAX Shuttle in place, people do not hesitate to drive from one side of the river to the other. It's very easy. Were it to get more difficult, taxis, even water taxis, might begin to be used for that purpose. Should that need arise, taxis can be encouraged by setting aside pick-up/drop-off spaces for them. There are a few but, by and large, there are no cabs cruising or waiting to be hailed. That we are not using cabs in that fashion is an indicator that during the day, it is easy to get around and park throughout our urban areas, even downtown Fort Lauderdale.

On-street parking

Until very recently, the trend of urban planning has been to remove as much on-street parking as possible. This was due to traffic engineers wanting to move cars more quickly. Wider lanes and fewer distractions -- people parking, opening doors, just being there -- allow greater speed. Also, many urban planners would like to keep cars away and out of sight. More recently, however, this conventional wisdom has been challenged. Fort Lauderdale has had spectacular results from its decision to return on-street parking to Las Olas Boulevard, proposed by Center founder Jack Latona when he served on the Fort Lauderdale City Commission. It significantly increased pedestrian activity and a sense of sophisticated urban ambience, as well as increased property values and parking revenue. The reasons for this overnight change are many: on-street parking increases parking capacity and the perception of increased parking availability. It provides a buffer for pedestrians and outdoor diners, an important consideration for a through street like Las Olas. It increases the amount of visual stimulation for pedestrians - people need constant visual change to keep them interested as they walk. Long, empty vistas discourage walking. Also, Americans, in particular, like to see where their car is, if possible.

On-street parking is being considered anew for low-density residential areas as well. Long considered a traffic hazard and a sign of low-income status (older homes, i.e. pre-1940, frequently did not have larger driveways and garages), on-street parking is now being seen as having some positive aspects. First, it slows down traffic, a good thing in residential areas. Second, as in commercial areas, it provides a buffer for pedestrians and visual interest. Third, it increases parking flexibility where the number of cars in a household increases, usually when the children begin to drive. Fort Lauderdale has examined various rules for parking in swales where there are no sidewalks: for example, no tires on the swale, two tires on the swale or all tires on the swale. There are arguments to be made for each format and their applicability varies from neighborhood to neighborhood, depending on the width of streets and depth of setbacks to the front of the house.

Parking Meters

On-street parking in commercial areas raises the issue of parking meters. Meters serve two purposes, one obvious - revenue - the other not so obvious but also important - turnover. Turnover means new visitors can have some expectation of finding a space. No turnover, probably the result of employees parking in front of the store, does not encourage people to stop and shop. While people can find parking meters and parking tickets an annoyance, they not only fill municipal coffers but serve the public as well by keeping alive at least the hope of achieving the American dream: an empty parking space right in front of my destination. It just won't be free. There is a large body of information and technology concerning the placement, design and monitoring of meters as well as an entire business of collecting parking tickets. We feel that is outside the scope of this study.

All of the above parking strategies can be implemented with existing low-tech methods. High-tech parking can be seen in our future as well, however.

Siemens Traffic Guidance Systems

As we have stated, changing people's behavior is difficult. Giving them the information they need to get to their destination, that is, a specific open parking space, can make their lives easier, reduce congestion, and improve our environment. As described above, Miami-Dade County is considering a full-time traffic information radio station, much like those now in service near large airports. Parking information could easily be made available over this same station. Siemens has developed a system that enables parking structures to measure incoming vehicles and to direct them to spaces according to size, thus increasing the capacity of the structure. They also have developed traffic guidance systems for traffic control which could be connected to the Parking Information Network and direct drivers to available parking. Other techniques for enhancing parking structures are available. Presently, it is possible to put traffic and parking information on the Internet. Soon, it will be possible to get real time information about available parking and reserve your space before you leave home! More and more cars are coming equipped with Global Positioning Systems (GPS) either as options or, in some cases, standard.

G P S

While presently a one-way system - you can find out where you are - soon it will be possible to create an interactive system. (Some vehicles also have a cell phone-based emergency system that might be adapted to a parking information system.)

This is the perfect example of creating the future: the technology exists or is foreseeable. A chip in each parking space will communicate to the Parking Information Network that it is empty; you will ask your GPS to identify a parking space closest to your destination; the screen will show you the exact location, not just the parking facility, but the space in it. You will then reserve the space by paying for it with a credit card and go directly to the space, saving time, reducing stress, and reducing pollution. As the cost of making this technology available comes down, the need/demand will increase and at that intersection, the future of parking will be created.

Bicycles

When discussing parking, most people think only of automobiles. However, bicycles should also be given some attention. Broward County and the Florida Department of Transportation have been quite aggressive in developing bike lanes so that increasingly one can bike, either for recreation or commuting, throughout much of the County. Less attention has been paid to safely and conveniently parking bicycles (or motor bikes of one sort of another). Municipalities can provide more parking for bikes and begin to require it from office and commercial developers. There are two good reasons for such a policy. First, there are people who prefer to ride their bikes and they are entitled to accommodation just as automobile drivers are. Second, the more bike riding is facilitated, the more of it will occur. This is good for both the bike riders and non-riders. Bikes are healthy for the rider, take up much less space on the road or for parking and do not pollute. (Even motor bikes take up less space and produce fewer pollutants.) In other parts of the world, bicycles are very important part of the transportation system, usually because they are so much cheaper. However, particularly given our climate, there is no reason that more travel in Broward County could not take place on bikes.

Like walking, riding a bike necessitates dressing differently than most business people presently do. We need to get away from suits, ties, high heels and panty hose as the business person's uniform. In addition to reducing our traffic and parking burdens, this would also enable us to set our office thermostats higher, saving energy and reducing pollution. Further, we would then require less cooling as we drive home and after we arrive there.

Most traffic-policy reduction programs involve getting people out of their cars more - that will not happen in South Florida until we "dress light." (Key Point 8.)

Conclusions

The future of parking in Broward County can be seen and it can be created. Presently, except for occasional peak time circumstances, there is no parking crisis in Broward County. That does not mean there are not specific problems to be solved or that some people still may think there is a crisis. It means we presently have the facilities available to deal with existing needs so long as we take steps to maximize the use of what we have. That may involve more efficient use of present spaces, better information, especially signs, about where parking is available, and, to some degree, getting people to understand that they should not expect to find a free, empty space ten steps away from their destination.

Will demand increase?

The future is another matter. While there are some possible changes in work and shopping behaviors which could lead to a reduced number of automobile trips and the resulting need for fewer parking spaces, they are most likely only to reduce the anticipated increase in demand, not cause an actual reduction in demand. (Key Point 9)

The forecast of an increase in demand is based on increases in population, demographic changes - more young people and more active seniors -- and increasing work and non-work choices, all leading to more trips and more non-home conclusions to those trips, i.e. more parking.

This means we should take steps today to make the parking experience of the future easier, less stressful and less environmentally damaging.

Two poles of parking policy

Parking policies fall between two poles: do nothing, let the market take its course; or aggressively restrict parking to shift people from their cars to public transportation (referred to as the San Francisco Model).

San Francisco has been able to pursue this policy because it already had a very dense, very compact urban community (49 square miles), politically willing to restrict automobiles, an economic magnetism that drew countless new dot-com business to want to locate there, and an existing public transportation infrastructure of buses, trolleys, cable cars, the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and a sophisticated fleet of taxis which can be hailed on the street in the downtown.

Broward County, much larger geographically (414 square miles), has not achieved either the population density or the economic magnetism essential to make such a policy successful.

However, Broward County is continuing to grow rapidly and a hands-off public policy will lead to chaos in heavily congested areas of the County.

This report sets forth tiers of policy choices that can be adopted as policy makers determine that circumstances require.

Analysis of the nine key points of the study lead to the conclusion that Broward County should begin to develop a "Smart Parking" policy that begins with creating the Parking Information Network which will lay the foundation for efficient implementation of the other parking solutions available now or in the foreseeable future. These solutions will reduce stress on drivers and on the environment and can be implemented as needed (Key Point 1). Broward County should not wait until future developments force reactive solutions (Key Point 6). Demand for parking will continue to increase but there are factors which may reduce that likely increase (Key Point 9).

If parking becomes too difficult people will go elsewhere (Key Point 5). To gain acceptance of new solutions, those most likely to succeed will impose the least change on individuals (Key Point 7). People will not give up their cars until the alternatives are equally or more attractive than their present circumstances (Key Point 8).

It is possible to reduce the negative impact of parking (Key Point 3). Parking facilities can and should be as attractive as any other part of our visual environment (Key Point 4). We can create the future of parking in Broward County (Key Point 2).

Incremental, low-cost, short-term actions

Most of the steps we have outlined are incremental, low-cost and can be implemented within a short time frame. Only a few require new and expensive technology and those do not have to be used to obtain much improved parking experiences. One first step is essential: obtaining and maintaining up-to-the-minute parking information for the entire county. This will enable public and private planners to avoid under or over building of parking facilities and allow for the fine-tuning techniques we have suggested in this report. Where parking conditions are tight or perceived to be tight, the information can then be provided to people to maximize existing parking facilities and reduce the time and stress associated with coping with these conditions. A Parking Information Network for the County would be a cost-effective first step to creating the future of parking in Broward County. Other steps could then be taken as we become aware of the need. If we begin now, we can create a future of faster, easier and cleaner parking in Broward County.
.............

Key Point 1
Parking solutions are much less capital intense and have much shortest implementation times than related traffic solutions.

Key Point 2
CREATE THE FUTURE OF PARKING NOW RATHER THAN WAITING FOR IT.

Key Point 3
Improving access to parking, making it easier to park, increases the perception of availability of parking and reduces the stress of parking.

Key Point 4
Parking facilities should be as attractive as any other part of our visual environment but they needn't be invisible. U.S. drivers like to see where their car is and is going to be.

Key Point 5
If the experience of parking is too stressful, expensive or difficult, people won't park there and they will go somewhere else.

Key Point 6
Doing nothing is a choice just as much as adopting one or more policy choices. Doing nothing actually means choosing to have a wide variety of public and private decision makers respond on an ad hoc basis to each need or "crisis" as it arises. If the response is inadequate, people will adjust various ways and life will go on.

Key Point 7
Until the crunch is severe, those solutions will work best which require the least change of behavior by consumers.

Key Point 8
Most traffic-policy reduction programs involve getting people out of their cars more - that will not happen in South Florida until we "dress light."

Key Point 9
Changes in work and shopping behaviors are most likely only to reduce the anticipated increase in demand, not cause an actual reduction in demand.

Background Materials

For readers who want more of the details.

The study was designed to be read in one sitting. It is supported by visuals that help the reader to grasp the complexity and interconnections of the subject. Parking is not just about placing cars in safe, convenient zones in a downtown area. Parking defines the interactions between people and the environment and colors their experience of the city. The best way of capturing the concepts visualized in this report would be with an animated documentary, which is recommended for a future information campaign about parking policy issues that might one day be directed at the general public. The audio-visual items that support this study as background materials include several videos that have been converted to run on Quicktime Software.

Videos on CD:
Robotic Parking (Information)

Robotic Parking (TV broadcast)

Visit to Publix Multi-Story Garage in Miami Beach

The Case Study: Las Olas Art Fair (September 2001)

Auto-Park Demonstration

Contacts
Paul Carpenter, Executive Director, Downtown Fort Lauderdale Transportation Management Authority.
761 3543 Ridership runs an average of 300,000 a year. The "park and ride" lot at 441 and Oakland Park Blvd. has about 57 riders a day. The ridership in the morning tends to be higher than the number of riders in the afternoon (some morning commuters apparently catch a ride home on the bus or with a friend). Two shuttle buses both make two trips in both the morning and the evening, a total of 8 round trips per day.

Ed Davis, County Parking Manager
A fifteen-foot tall sign (viewable from Broward Blvd. along SW 1st Avenue from Broward), will be installed on the County Garage. This is the first of what this study's writers hope will be more signage to help the first-time visitor to Broward County in navigating.
The diagram is a schematic: it does not represent the actual end product and it is an artist's rendition. It was provided by the very helpful and consumer-oriented parking manager who works for the County.
Source: Ed Davis, edavis@broward.org

TRANSPORTATION PLANNING DIVISION 357-6608
115 S. Andrews Avenue, Room 329H, Ft. Lauderdale, 33301 FAX 357-6228
Director: Bruce Wilson 357-6641; Congestion Management Team - Enrique R. Zelaya 357-6635; Long Range Transportation Planning Team - Ossama Al Aschkar, P.E. 357-6653

Jeff Weidner, Florida Department of Transportation
Jeff coordinated a useful series of workshops to bring together teams that are working on various projects in Broward and Southeast Florida. His workshops helped many participants realize that each team is not only working on a specific project, but also helping to construct part of a transportation system for the region.

Publications
Countywide Parking Policy Study for Miami-Dade County (project No. E95-MPO-02R), August 1999, prepared by Barton-Aschman Associates. Provided by Jesus Guerra, guerraj@co.miami-dade.fl.us, 111 NW First St, Miami, FL 33128, (305) 375-4507

Year 2000 Traffic Count Report, April 2001, Broward County Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Parking Study - Beach Area (2000) Walker Parking Consultants (made available to us through the courtesy of Doug Gottshall, City of Fort Lauderdale). This 45-page study includes data from surveys in August and September 2000. In a related matter, the City of Fort Lauderdale paid for a detailed transportation study including parking issues which is expected to be completed in 2002.    Copies should be available from the City of Fort Lauderdale at that time.

Collection of Parking Ordinances: A complete set of parking ordinances for Broward County and its municipalities can be accessed by sending an e-mail message to Rosalia Bunge (rbunge@co.broward.fl.us) at Broward County's Department of Planning and Environmental Protection (DPEP).

The Parking Professional (industry monthly magazine), International Parking Institute, Fredericksburg, Va.

Benchmarking the Parking Profession, 2001. International Parking Institute, Fredericksburg, Va.

Web site references
Intelligent Parking Garages, by B. Ran and S. Leight
WEB: www.cae.wisc.edu/~uwits/programs/garages.html

Siemens Intelligent Traffic Systems
WEB:    http://www.atd.siemens.de/traffic/siemens_english/ebene0/index.htm

Siemens: Parking in no time at all. (Interactive system with signals to the driver).
http://www.ad.siemens.de/news/html_76/simrepo/3_97/html_76/anw5_2.htm

County Parking Facility License
A parking facility license is required of any facility that exceeds fifteen parking spaces for a single-level parking lot or 750 parking spaces for a parking garage.
WEB: www.broward.org/aqi02300.htm

Alan Durning, June 26, 2001, "Cheap parking spaces drive up fuel prices" (opinion)
Web archive of the www.Seattletimes.com

The citizen's group that opposed a parking garage on Deerfield Beach.
WEB: www.saveourbeach.com

Congestion in Broward County (photos)
WEB: http://www.oocities.org/creatingthefuture/parkingcongestion.html

Parking can help attract and support redevelopment.
WEB: http://www.ci.fairfax.va.us/City/ReDevelopmentCOF.htm
"...the city will invest approximately $30 million in public improvements to North Street, constructing parking garages and undergrounding utilities in the Old Town area."

The inventory of parking spaces in 17 major garages in downtown Fort Lauderdale are located at www.oocities.org/futureofparking/pin.html.

Products and Concepts
Sidewalk Sails(tm) by JK McCrea. Protected sidewalks tend to encourage pedestrian traffic. Protection from rain and sun should encourage people to walk farther from their cars. The graphic on page 36 is called Sidewalk Sail and it is copyrighted in 2001 by JK McCrea Jkmccrea@iname.com. The conceptual drawings appear in this study with the permission of its creator. www.oocities.org/americanarchitecturalsigns/sail.html

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