Lack of parking can be a huge impediment to developing or sustaining a successful downtown. One of the least expensive options to gain more parking spaces is to change the angle of the spaces from 0 degrees (parallel to the curb) to 20 - 90 degrees (perpendicular to the curb). The greater the angle the more spaces gained.
However, before changing your downtown’s parking configuration, you have to determine if doing so is necessary and possible.
1) Are your streets wide enough? A 45 degree parking space will extend 14 feet; compared with 8 feet for parallel parking, from the curb into the travel lane. In order to have 45 degree angled parking on both sides of the street a street width of 58 feet would be required.
2) Are your blocks long enough? To maximize angled parking efficiency, block lengths need to be around 300 or more feet long with uninterrupted parking. Alleys, bump outs, mid-block pedestrian crossings and unloading zones can dramatically reduce the net gain in parking. Not only do these interruptions take of space they create site-distance problems that could cause accidents.
3) Are there sidewalk obstructions in the way? Unlike parallel parking, angled parking generally requires 2 feet of overhang onto the side walk. If overhang is not available then up to 4 feet of additional intrusion into the travel way is necessary for angled parking on both sides of the street.
4) Is the speed limit too high? Actual speeds (verses posted speed limit) in excess of 15 mph are a problem for any type of on-street parking. The reaction times for drivers and parkers decreases dramatically at higher speeds. This is especially problematic with angled parking. A study by the U.S. Department of transportation found that parallel parking was 19%-71% safer than angled parking. Lower speeds correlated to fewer accidents.
However, before changing your downtown’s parking configuration, you have to determine if doing so is necessary and possible.
Is Angled Parking Necessary?
Not every parking problem is caused by a lack of parking spaces. I have done a number of parking audits and have found that there is usually an adequate number of parking spaces for the normal demand. Your downtown probably does not need angled parking if:
1) The current parking supply meets normal demand. “Black Friday” parking demand should not be your benchmark for determining how many parking spaces that are needed. The measure that should be used is peak sustained demand. A quick (non-scientific) way to determine peak demand is to observe when 80% or more available parking is used in the core downtown and within a 5 minute (approximately ¼ mile distance) walk. Studies have found that parking saturation of more than 80% dramatically increases congestion. If more precision is desired, then a formal study can be conducted by parking experts.
2) Lack of convenient spaces is caused my business owners and employees using parking that should be reserved for customers. In this case you have an educational and enforcement issue, not a parking space availability issue.
3) There is adequate parking, it’s just hard to find. Rather than changing parking configuration, a good wayfinding system (signs, GPS, smart phone apps etc.) should be developed to help customers find parking spaces.
Read More> Parking in downtown Grand Rapids: Consultant says 40 percent of spaces empty
1) The current parking supply meets normal demand. “Black Friday” parking demand should not be your benchmark for determining how many parking spaces that are needed. The measure that should be used is peak sustained demand. A quick (non-scientific) way to determine peak demand is to observe when 80% or more available parking is used in the core downtown and within a 5 minute (approximately ¼ mile distance) walk. Studies have found that parking saturation of more than 80% dramatically increases congestion. If more precision is desired, then a formal study can be conducted by parking experts.
2) Lack of convenient spaces is caused my business owners and employees using parking that should be reserved for customers. In this case you have an educational and enforcement issue, not a parking space availability issue.
3) There is adequate parking, it’s just hard to find. Rather than changing parking configuration, a good wayfinding system (signs, GPS, smart phone apps etc.) should be developed to help customers find parking spaces.
Read More> Parking in downtown Grand Rapids: Consultant says 40 percent of spaces empty
Is Angled Parking Possible?
Parking spaces take up a lot of space, either along the length of the curb or the street cross section (i.e. street width). To determine if angled parking will work in your downtown the following things should be considered.
1) Are your streets wide enough? A 45 degree parking space will extend 14 feet; compared with 8 feet for parallel parking, from the curb into the travel lane. In order to have 45 degree angled parking on both sides of the street a street width of 58 feet would be required.
2) Are your blocks long enough? To maximize angled parking efficiency, block lengths need to be around 300 or more feet long with uninterrupted parking. Alleys, bump outs, mid-block pedestrian crossings and unloading zones can dramatically reduce the net gain in parking. Not only do these interruptions take of space they create site-distance problems that could cause accidents.
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| Angled Parking In Downtown Stauton, VA |
3) Are there sidewalk obstructions in the way? Unlike parallel parking, angled parking generally requires 2 feet of overhang onto the side walk. If overhang is not available then up to 4 feet of additional intrusion into the travel way is necessary for angled parking on both sides of the street.
4) Is the speed limit too high? Actual speeds (verses posted speed limit) in excess of 15 mph are a problem for any type of on-street parking. The reaction times for drivers and parkers decreases dramatically at higher speeds. This is especially problematic with angled parking. A study by the U.S. Department of transportation found that parallel parking was 19%-71% safer than angled parking. Lower speeds correlated to fewer accidents.
Conclusion
Angled parking can dramatically increase parking in downtowns. However, careful assessment and planning are necessary to make sure that this parking solution really will work in your downtown.
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