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WEST MAIN STREET PARKING OPPORTUNITIES AND ANALYSIS <br /> City of Charlottesville <br /> <br />Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. | 20 <br />PARKING POLICY AND MANAGEMENT <br />Parking is best managed pro-actively as a critical component of a corridor management plan. The <br />best practice is to move away from the approach of constantly reacting. Many cities are now <br />adopting parking management elements in concert with marketing and development efforts. <br />Along the West Main Street corridor as well as throughout the City of Charlottesville, the <br />following alternatives are recommended for further exploration and would formulate a <br />considered parking management approach. <br />Department of Parking <br />Creating a City Parking Department, or a Parking Division within an existing City department, to <br />provide full-time management of the parking system. This would include oversight of the parking <br />enforcement, dynamic rate management, maintenance and stakeholder liaison. <br />Benefits <br /> Would provide central oversight of the City parking system and facilities. <br />Limitations <br /> Additional staff cost and management, Dept. annual budget and initial set-up. <br />Enforcement of Time limits <br />Currently on-street parking along West Main Street is time limited to 2 hours but these limits are <br />rarely enforced. This results in overuse of parking spaces thus reducing the available supply of <br />parking for visitors particularly those in need of short-term spaces. Implementing an enforcement <br />program through the time limit with the strengthening of enforcement activities would increase <br />turnover and ensure an occupancy level where there are some available parking spaces at any <br />given time. This strategy reduces the perception of a lack of available parking and provides <br />valuable short-term spaces for local businesses. <br />Benefits <br /> Would increase turnover and ensure availability of on-street spaces. <br /> Would force employee and long-term parkers to lots/garages. <br />Limitations <br /> Would be a big change to the existing system and may be seen as a revenue generator. <br /> Would require the capital outlay of parking enforcement equipment, software and <br />collections contract. Most collections contracts will include enforcement equipment and <br />be based on a per citation cost. <br /> A parking enforcement officer salary and benefits is approximately $50,000/year (wit h <br />potential revenue within a City-wide system at approx. $150,000) <br />Challenges <br /> Proper parking enforcement is not possible unless regulatory signs are in place to notify <br />people of the intended purpose of a parking area and the rules that apply. <br /> Fines should be set merely as a deterrent to illegal parking and should not be viewed as a <br />revenue source. Fines also should escalate depending on the severity of the infraction. If <br />fines are set too low, they will not discourage people from parking illegally. <br /> Would require the implementation of an enforcement division with the City (or the new <br />parking dept.).