Parking and Light Rail
by Mark Foss
When I was a child in the mid-1960s, my neighborhood had a sidewalk stamped with the date 1915. It gave me a sense that my street, lined with 50-year-old trees, was planned and permanent. It was a special street. It belonged to someone in 1915 and now it was my street.
Light rail is an investment in the future, much like sidewalks, storm drains and tree-lined streets. It takes massive investment of money, time and planning. Gaining a return on the public’s investment implies a long horizon.
Light rail also needs to serve the current generation of customers. In my view, customers are not just transit riders but also businesses, residents and tax payers who support transit. There is the rub. How do you build something with a very long investment horizon and serve the present?
The issue of parking around light rail lines offers an opportunity to reflect on this question. Light rail lines generate parking issues. Debates swirl around on-street parking for businesses and residents, privately owned off-street parking and park and rides.
Some cities want light rail to be fed only by pedestrians and bike riders – thus restricting parking. Some cities provide maximum parking while preserving quality of life around the rail line. The specific solutions vary from city to city and line to line. The way cities and transit agencies respond to such issues reveals either good customer service or a lack of it.
A Tale of Two Light Rail Lines
The Central Corridor light rail is a line planned to connect St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minn. According to Chris Haven, reporter for the Star Tribune, parking became a hot community issue. Faced with an 85 percent loss of on-street parking and no public park-and-ride facilities, the outcry from businesses and residents was shrill. The city of St. Paul proposed a plan to give financial incentives to businesses and property owners to improve private off-street parking and to clean up and pave alleys behind businesses on the rail line. As of the writing of Haven’s article in August 2009, the proposal still needed approval by the council. The response, however, appears to be customer oriented. The city deserves kudos for this kind of response.
Sound Transit’s Link light rail began service on 14 miles of track in July 2009. It runs from Tukwila to Seattle. The only park-and-ride on the line has 600 spaces and is located outside the city of Seattle in Tukwila. In the city of Seattle, there are restricted parking zones around five stations. Special permits are issued to local residents and businesses. The city of Seattle states that the restrictions are to protect the neighborhoods. Bryan Stevens, spokesman for the city of Seattle’s Department of Planning and Development, stated: “We’re trying to cater to the pedestrian and not the vehicle, and we’re trying to encourage folks to walk or bike or even take the bus to the light rail station.”
Some businesses tried to offer parking to commuters using existing parking lots but were stopped by the city of Seattle. The city indicated that it may change its policy but to date it hasn’t. And Sound Transit appears to be standing firm — no additional parking facilities. I offer no kudos to Seattle or Sound Transit for leadership on this issue.
Now back to my original question: How do you build something with a very long investment horizon and still serve the present?
I don’t have a pat answer. I can say that my tale of two rail lines suggests a direction. Be pragmatic. I have handled complaints from very angry transit customers face to face. It takes a problem solving mentality. Listen to the customer. Be receptive. Cities need to adapt creatively to market demand for transit services. A hard attitude only invites a backlash against transit.
In my view, anything that invites people to park their cars and ride to work is worth investigating. If the private market is trying to serve that need with existing parking lots, without public money — encourage, guide, regulate aesthetics for the neighborhood — but don’t punish. Parking may not always be needed. However, it may be needed now.
Take the long view. Balance long-term plans by present-day pragmatism. Light rail is a legacy. When we are all gone, it should still serve the customers well. But it also has to serve customers now.
Mark Foss has more than 24 years experience working for King County Metro Transit. His experience includes work as a bus operator, special ridership coordinator in accessible services and 1st line transit supervisor. Currently, he works as a communications coordinator in the transit control center (TCC).
February 9th, 2010 at 6:40 pm
You can avoid being auto-centric while still being auto-tolerant. This is an opportunity to demonstrate how a parking lot should be built. Encourage smaller vehicles by painting smaller spaces, and include lots of bike and motorcycle parking. Build several small lots to increase foot traffic through town (the local business will appreciate that). If you must build a single lot, place it underneath or behind a building where it doesn’t create a barrier to pedestrians and transit riders approaching from the street. It’s counter-productive to make auto-centric enemies (and they have a big lobby). Make friends by designing Transit Oriented Development which is pedestrian-friendly and auto-tolerant.