Almost every student with a car knows firsthand that finding a
parking spot in North Westwood Village is like finding a needle in
a haystack: only the lucky and persistent prevail.
A recent city ordinance has been proposed to further limit
villagers’ parking options by enforcing the ticketing of
“apron parking” ““ the term used for cars parked
illegally reaching into the street from the driveway. Students and
residents are outraged.
Many believe that getting rid of these ad-hoc spaces will worsen
Westwood’s parking situation.
But the parking problem has little to do with the supply of
parking spaces and more to do with the demand for parking.
North Westwood Village’s proximity to the university
leaves students and tenants in constant competition for
parking.
Since many apartments were built before current zoning codes
were enacted, and one-bedroom apartments usually house two or three
students, there are simply not enough legal parking spaces for
every tenant.
Fierce competition among drivers has led landlords to assign
apron parking spots to appease them. For the past 30 years, parking
enforcement has ignored this illegal activity and allowed apron
parking to be commonplace.
Some have proposed building new parking structures to increase
parking capacity. However, if street parking was managed more
effectively, residents would not have to resort to parking on
driveways and sidewalks.
The high demand for parking does not necessarily indicate a
shortage; it can indicate that price is set too low, or in this
case, free. When a good is free, consumers tend to overuse it.
Free curbside parking creates incentive for drivers to park
long-term, reducing turnover and deterring visitors due to lack of
convenient short-term parking.
To address the loss of apron parking, a new system is necessary
to manage parking demand.
The first step toward a new parking paradigm is to unbundle the
cost of parking from rent (i.e. tenants pay separately for housing
and parking). This will have a twofold effect.
First, it will lower apartment rental prices. Renting apartments
and parking separately will appeal to students who are willing to
forgo a car to live closer to campus.
Second, unbundling parking will ensure the availability of legal
parking spots for tenants willing to pay ““ presumably those
who really need the spaces.
Allowing basic economic principles to efficiently allocate the
supply of legal parking spaces will benefit both students who own
cars and those who are willing to forgo them.
The next step is to implement a system of permits and meters
that charge a market rate for curbside parking.
Legal residents of North Westwood Village who do not wish to pay
for a parking spot in their apartment complex could apply for a
permit from the city to park at the curb.
The remaining curb spaces would be priced and made available for
short-term use. The cumulative effect of charging for curbside
parking would lower the demand for parking and efficiently allocate
the limited supply of parking spaces.
Managing demand is a less costly and more effective approach
than increasing supply by building new parking structures.
These changes will result in a noticeable shift to other modes
of transportation such as walking, biking and public
transportation. Less driving will reduce traffic congestion, energy
consumption and air pollution.
The sidewalks of North Westwood Village do not have to be a maze
of bumpers and fenders. There is a better way to manage
parking.
Apron parking not only poses dangers to drivers by blocking
views and narrowing streets, but it makes sidewalks less accessible
for pedestrians, especially those with disabilities.
The new city ordinance can serve as a successful first step in
parking management if it is accompanied by a change in parking
policies.
However, immediate action must be taken, as these problems will
only grow worse and more expensive over time.
Ringler is an urban studies graduate student.