On-Street Parking

[West End Boy]

Curious what people think about getting rid of on-street parking. I know it's controversial, but whenever I think about trying to squeeze more mobility out of our existing roads, all of the cars parked on the main streets seem like a bad idea to me.

How do other big cities deal with this? Is there some other way to accommodate parked cars in an alternate location or way? I live on a residential side-street off of Bloor that might be able to accommodate parking on BOTH sides of the street, which would create more parking fairly close to the shops on Bloor. I know my neighbours wouldn't be so keen on the increased car traffic, but something's gotta give. The narrower path for moving cars might even slow down traffic on our street.

I think when I was in Chicago I noticed more parking garages on the main streets which usually had facades that looked like regular buildings from the outside. Maybe it's time to consider a shift towards something like this?

 

[Mapleson]

Build a few car parks already and have done with it. Roads should be for driving not parking.

 

[Jupiter]

I think there's a few problems with this idea.

First off, many of the side streets are already packed with cars. If we take away parking on the main arterials, there won't be room for the cars to park elsewhere without taking up valuable land with new parking garages.

Second, I don't believe parked cars on arterials ARE are a problem in the first place. They provide an important barrier between the moving traffic and the sidewalk, making the pedestrian realm more appealing. Businesses along the street also I'm sure appreciate the parking, as people seem to find parking near their destination of great importance. Often you can park for free simply by parking on a side street, yet people continue to pay for parking on the main streets.

Which leads me to third... the cost of parking. It would be expensive to install new parking meters on side streets, as well as create greater difficulty for parking enforcement. Though your street may be able to have parked cars on both sides, there are several streets in Toronto where this could not happen while still allowing two cars to pass each other in between. Generally parking is allowed almost wherever possible on side streets already. If you didn't plan on charging for the parking on the side streets, that's a big loss of income for the city.

I really think what should happen with parking are two easy suggestions. It should be more expensive, as Toronto severely underprices on-street parking, and to deal with the problem you've outlined, they should extend rush hour parking restrictions on streets to 3-7. Our rush "hour" is longer than it used to be, and parking restrictions should change to accommodate that.

 

[West End Boy]

If we take away parking on the main arterials, there won't be room for the cars to park elsewhere without taking up valuable land with new parking garages.

The cost of building new parking structures is definitely a limitation. But maybe something to work towards long-term?

Second, I don't believe parked cars on arterials ARE are a problem in the first place. They provide an important barrier between the moving traffic and the sidewalk, making the pedestrian realm more appealing. Businesses along the street also I'm sure appreciate the parking, as people seem to find parking near their destination of great importance. Often you can park for free simply by parking on a side street, yet people continue to pay for parking on the main streets.

It's not the fact there are parked cars on the arterials that is the problem in and of itself, it's the valuable space that they take up on streets that could be put to better use with more vehicle lanes, bike lanes, wider sidewalks, street furniture, etc. I know people enjoy having the parking spot in front of the businesses they are visiting (if they are lucky enough to find one, of course), but maybe as a city gets bigger and urbanizes this is something people need to learn to live without. If an alternative can be created 30m away, wouldn't that be a reasonable trade-off?

It would be expensive to install new parking meters on side streets, as well as create greater difficulty for parking enforcement. Though your street may be able to have parked cars on both sides, there are several streets in Toronto where this could not happen while still allowing two cars to pass each other in between.

If parking was shifted somehow to side streets, the existing parking meters could just be moved. In my hood the side streets are generally one-way, so on some of them at least you would be able to fit parked cars on both sides with one lane of traffic down the middle. Not sure if garbage trucks etc. would still fit though.

Or maybe there could be intensification of parking spots at the ends of the side streets, just where they meet the main streets. Often there is unused space at the sides of the main street buildings. In my hood the ends of the streets tend to be a bit of a mish-mash anyway, not particularly useful or nice-looking, so if done right the change might even enhance these parts of the side streets. And the parking created would be right around the corner from the spaces they would replace.

I really think what should happen with parking are two easy suggestions. It should be more expensive, as Toronto severely underprices on-street parking, and to deal with the problem you've outlined, they should extend rush hour parking restrictions on streets to 3-7. Our rush "hour" is longer than it used to be, and parking restrictions should change to accommodate that.

I totally agree about under-pricing of parking and the longer rush hour. In addition, where I work there is free parking but no safe place to lock a bike.