The folks in Central Ohio have hired Walker Parking Consultants to put on a seminar for cities who think they have parking problems. Walker will review the issues but the article points out that the locals seems to have a good understanding of the problem already. Read it here:.
You will note if you read the entire article that one person is quoted as saying most downtowns don’t have a parking problem, they have merchants and employees who simply take all the good spaces. The other great quote is that parking problems are good — they mean that people are coming downtown to shop. It would be worse if you had no parking problem.
I hope Walker will talk about the Shoupista theory. That concept that free parking causes all the problems and that charging for parking downtown solves them. Set the rates right (Goldilocks, not to low, not too high, but just right), get rid of parking requirements, and use the money to fix up the down town area.
These folks are primed for it .
JVH
