A three-year pilot program of market-pricing for parking in the university town of Berkeley, California is already revealing surprising realities about parking demand in the city.
A post on the Systematic Failure blog details the result of a test of market pricing for parking in Berkeley—where the perception of parking shortages does not match the data about parking availability even in peak hours.
Here's how the post describes the goBerkeley experiment:
"The city received a 3-year Federal grant to test that hypothesis. The transportation department analyzed parking occupancy rates in three neighborhoods, continually adjusting parking hours and pricing based on demand. Price and time limits were set with a goal of always having 65-85% occupancy on each block. Where parking exceeded the 85% threshold, prices went up and time limits went down. Where parking occupancy dropped below the 65%, prices were reduced and time limits increased. Clear signage was installed to inform drivers their pricing options."
The articles shares infographics reporting the surprising results of a survey presented to the Berkeley City Council in December [pdf], including low demand for parking within two blocks of the University of California campus.
The article also notes the improvements left to be implemented for the goBerkeley program, including the automation of real-time data and payment processes.
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