PARKING POLICY IS PRIMARILY SET BY LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, INFLUENCED BY THE POLICIES OF OTHER PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTITIES. A RECENT ARTICLE IN PLANNING SUMMARIZED SOME OF THE PROBLEMS WITH LOCAL PARKING POLICY:

"WHILE CAR SIZES, TRAFFIC PATTERNS, AND PARKING NEEDS ARE CHANGING RAPIDLY, THE PARKING SECTIONS OF ZONING ORDINANCES TEND TO STAY THE SAME. NEW STANDARDS ARE OFTEN COPIED BLINDLY FROM OTHER LOCALES. EVEN WORSE, THE STANDARDS USED MAY BE BASED ON THE OLD-FASHIONED ASSUMPTION THAT DEMAND IS PARAMOUNT." (SWANSON 1989, PP. 14)

THIS SITUATION IS SLOWLY CHANGING, SPURRED BY CONCERNS ABOUT TRAFFIC CONGESTION, AIR QUALITY, AND TRANSIT POLICY. SOME POLICY MAKERS NOW RECOGNIZE THAT PARKING PRICING AND SUBSIDY LEVELS ARE SIGNIFICANT DETERMINANTS OF MODE CHOICE, AND THEREFORE PARKING DEMAND. PARKING IS BEGINNING TO BE VIEWED IN A MORE COMPREHENSIVE FASHION--NOT JUST AS SUPPORT FOR THE LAND USES IT SERVES, BUT ALSO A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF TRANSIT PLANNING, TRAVEL DEMAND MANAGEMENT, AND URBAN DESIGN.">THIS SITUATION IS SLOWLY CHANGING, SPURRED BY CONCERNS ABOUT TRAFFIC CONGESTION, AIR QUALITY, AND TRANSIT POLICY. SOME POLICY MAKERS NOW RECOGNIZE THAT PARKING PRICING AND SUBSIDY LEVELS ARE SIGNIFICANT DETERMINANTS OF MODE CHOICE, AND THEREFORE PARKING DEMAND. PARKING IS BEGINNING TO BE VIEWED IN A MORE COMPREHENSIVE FASHION--NOT JUST AS SUPPORT FOR THE LAND USES IT SERVES, BUT ALSO A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF TRANSIT PLANNING, TRAVEL DEMAND MANAGEMENT, AND URBAN DESIGN.">ABSTRACT:
PARKING IS A VITAL BUT OFTEN IGNORED TRANSPORTATION POLICY ISSUE. PARKING POLICY DECISIONS SHAPE THE FORM OF CITIES, THEIR DENSITY, TRAVEL PATTERNS, AND THE QUALITY OF THE ENVIRONMENT. FOR EXAMPLE, THEY AFFECT TRANSIT RIDERSHIP BECAUSE THEY ARE A KEY DETERMINANT OF THE COST AND CONVENIENCE OF AUTOMOBILE COMMUTING. OFTEN, PARKING POLICY DECISIONS ARE MADE WITHOUT REGARD TO THEIR BROADER CONSEQUENCES.

PARKING POLICY IS PRIMARILY SET BY LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, INFLUENCED BY THE POLICIES OF OTHER PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTITIES. A RECENT ARTICLE IN PLANNING SUMMARIZED SOME OF THE PROBLEMS WITH LOCAL PARKING POLICY:

"WHILE CAR SIZES, TRAFFIC PATTERNS, AND PARKING NEEDS ARE CHANGING RAPIDLY, THE PARKING SECTIONS OF ZONING ORDINANCES TEND TO STAY THE SAME. NEW STANDARDS ARE OFTEN COPIED BLINDLY FROM OTHER LOCALES. EVEN WORSE, THE STANDARDS USED MAY BE BASED ON THE OLD-FASHIONED ASSUMPTION THAT DEMAND IS PARAMOUNT." (SWANSON 1989, PP. 14)

THIS SITUATION IS SLOWLY CHANGING, SPURRED BY CONCERNS ABOUT TRAFFIC CONGESTION, AIR QUALITY, AND TRANSIT POLICY. SOME POLICY MAKERS NOW RECOGNIZE THAT PARKING PRICING AND SUBSIDY LEVELS ARE SIGNIFICANT DETERMINANTS OF MODE CHOICE, AND THEREFORE PARKING DEMAND. PARKING IS BEGINNING TO BE VIEWED IN A MORE COMPREHENSIVE FASHION--NOT JUST AS SUPPORT FOR THE LAND USES IT SERVES, BUT ALSO A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF TRANSIT PLANNING, TRAVEL DEMAND MANAGEMENT, AND URBAN DESIGN.