Brandy Stanley has done an excellent job of educating the local press in Las Vegas. Check out this article in the local paper. The money quotes:
I’m happy to report that the wonderfully named Brandy Stanley, the city’s parking services manager for a bit more than a year, really geeks it out on parking policy and seems to have a great handle on these issues.
The first thing she did was collect data. She and her staff determined we have 50,000 parking spaces in the Downtown area, which is a 38 percent surplus over demand, according to parking industry standards.
But what about First Friday?! Yes, there is a shortage of parking on First Friday. To some degree, the problem is insoluble—there’s not enough parking for 20,000 people. Drivers wind up cruising Charleston in search of parking, which adds to the traffic. Stanley said the solution is a robust shuttle system to bring people in from far-flung lots.
The other solution is information, though this applies to all Downtown parking and not just First Friday. The city will soon be using signs—and eventually a website and mobile app—instructing people where to find available Downtown parking.
Stanley and her team will also soon take bids to install modern, easy-to-use parking meters that accept credit cards. After that, they’ll begin adjusting time limits. Why are some metered spots one hour, while others are four? As of now, who knows?
After that, they’ll address pricing. Although the system must pay for itself, Stanley said the goal is not revenue, but, rather, economic development. In her last job in Manchester, New Hampshire, Stanley instituted performance pricing—prices based on demand—so maybe that’s coming. A guy can hope.
Wouldn’t it be great if all parking managers had this relationship with the fourth estate.
JVH
