There was so much happening this week in political news that it was hard to focus on anything else. We published a list of 10 Podcasts for Parking Reformers the day before the attempted coup. If you’re looking for interviews and policy talk about parking, check it out.
Sightline Institute looked into The Hidden Cost of “Over-Parking” Our Cities, and this opinion piece at Greater Greater Washington concludes that Free parking seems like a great deal, until it isn’t. Another opinion article from Smart Cities Dive warns for this micromobility boom to last, we need to address parking.
A typically comprehensive post from our Advisory Board member Todd Litman will arm you with the arguments, facts, and references to convince anyone that we should pursue a Housing First; Cars Last policy.
Take a break and watch this entertaining philosophical musing on parking and then we’ll get to what’s happening in regional parking policies and news.
A neighborhood in Bend, Oregon is piloting a neighborhood permit program and parking benefit district and some formerly “free” surface parking lots in West Seattle Junction, Washington will begin charging for car parking.
Madison, Wisconsin recently passed rules requiring electric vehicle charging stations in new parking lots, but VW thinks perhaps there’s a better way to add EV infrastructure: autonomous parking lot robots that charge your car while you’re shopping.
Minneapolis, Minnesota will pilot an innovative and promising program to bundle transit passes with monthly car parking permits. The idea is that commuters might take transit to work or use it for other non-commute trips if they’ve already paid for the fare. Also in Minneapolis, a parking lot associated with the late musician Prince has been sold and is likely to be redeveloped.
Expect to hear more about Hartford, Connecticut in coming weeks and their city council considers expanding a parking lot fee to fund transit. Parking lot operators are opposed to the expansion and the Mayor is feeling the heat, the council will vote on January 25th.
Tel Aviv, Israel is planning to repurpose thousands of on-street car parking stalls at the same time as they are reducing minimum parking requirements.
There’s a bill winding its way through the Utah legislative process which would legalize accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and prohibit car parking requirements for them. This follows a trend of states taking action to increase housing supply by limiting local car parking mandates.
Have you been considering investing in parking lots? This Forbes article will provide you with A Primer On The Unique Niche Of Parking Lot Investments.
And finally, Alcosan, the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, is working on complying with a $2 Billion consent decree with the EPA to clean up Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s waterways by building a 5-story 450+ stall parking garage. Alcosan says the garage, which will add almost 300 stalls to the wastewater treatment plant’s supply, is needed to replace stalls lost with a new lab is built and to plan for future expansions. Alcosan also claims there’s not enough space in the garage for 50 bicycles.
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