Austin City Council to Consider Incentive Program to Reduce DT Parking (Howe: appointed, tenants)

[Austinite101]

City considers incentive program to reduce parking | kvue.com Austin

And it's about time! We need to incentivize the use of public transportation and discourage the bringing of cars to DT Austin. Hopefully this will help spur denser and taller residential/office development due to the would-be reduction in parking requirements and costs to developers.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by Austinite101

City considers incentive program to reduce parking | kvue.com Austin

And it's about time! We need to incentivize the use of public transportation and discourage the bringing of cars to DT Austin. Hopefully this will help spur denser and taller residential/office development due to the would-be reduction in parking requirements and costs to developers.

Wow, incredibly disappointed in this. A 1 year pilot program? These buildings have 5 year lead times...the results wouldn't be noticible for 20 years or more...and what's with the developer to provide incentives to ride transit? Developers by and large are looking to be out of a building after construction..tenants will be in it for generations.

This is typical bs urbanism-but-not-really crap we've been getting for the last few years since we lost true leadership on the city council that really got it.

How do we get Will Wynn to run again?

[Melissa78703]

Originally Posted by Austinite101

City considers incentive program to reduce parking | kvue.com Austin

And it's about time! We need to incentivize the use of public transportation and discourage the bringing of cars to DT Austin. Hopefully this will help spur denser and taller residential/office development due to the would-be reduction in parking requirements and costs to developers.

I would love to see this happen! Seriously ... love.

As a public servant, I get a free bus pass. However, while this is an incentive, it's really not enough. The biggest problem with riding the bus is that even if you live close to downtown or even really close to your workplace, you could logically spend two hours getting to and from work. It's rare that I make the three miles from Point A to Point B in 30 minutes or less.

Just MHO, but a good incentive for people who use mass transit might be the option to telecommute a day out of each week, or perhaps they might be given X-amount of comp time when they take mass transit. I'm a big believer in reducing traffic and carbon emissions, but at the same time, I understand so many people don't take Cap Metro. A lot of the routes -- particular those into the 'burbs -- are restricted. A lot of bus stops don't have shelters, making it a total PITA when it's raining, or really hot or cold.

Then you run into the biggest problem: a lot of people -- and I'm disappointed to know some of them -- associate taking mass transit with being "poor" or "lower class." It's going to be really hard to win those hearts and minds ...

[triwing]

This sounds like another Agenda 21/ICLEI plan that, as a side bonus, will allow the City of Austin, Inc. to create artificial scarcity of parking so they can raise prices.

I have absolutely no desire to ride a bus or other public transportation at 2:30AM on a weekend. Public transportation generally takes too long anyway.

[jeremy2788]

Agenda 21 huh? lol.

And nobody is saying that you HAVE to take the bus, you can drive all you want, just you will have a more difficult time finding a sea of parking lots.

[tildahat]

Originally Posted by triwing

This sounds like another Agenda 21/ICLEI plan that, as a side bonus, will allow the City of Austin, Inc. to create artificial scarcity of parking so they can raise prices.

I have absolutely no desire to ride a bus or other public transportation at 2:30AM on a weekend. Public transportation generally takes too long anyway.

Actually, it's the current parking *requirements* which create an artificial/subsidized supply of parking. An economist wrote a book called "the high cost of free parking" or something along those lines. Free, or even relatively abundant cheap parking generated by minimum parking requirements is a public bad which is essentially subsidized and an intervention in the market. I personally have no issue on principle with interfering with the market if there's a good case for it, but when it comes to roads, parking, and a number of other issues, people seem to think they are 'free' both in terms of cost and the market, and they are not.

[verybadgnome]

No conspiracies here. If anything the conspiracy has been in the auto-oriented zoning and planning in post-WWII America. We are just so used to it that it is no longer controversial.

Why should there be minimum parking requirement at all? If there is so much demand for parking and the means are there, parking will be supplied at a price commensurate with the cost of land and infrastructure by the private sector. When you mandate parking minimums you force those who do not use the parking, i.e. those who do not drive to work, to subsidize those who do. You also discourage beneficial activities like carpooling that saves both parking spaces and reduces congestion.

The Austin CBD of today is not what it was 40 or even 20 years ago and this type of approach is what is needed to fit current demands.

[dv1033]

Sounds like a good idea, but Austin isn't exactly known for its public transit. I agree that parking requirements need to be changed, but all Texas cities need to better invest in their public transit.

[veloman777]

I worked in a building downtown that was 12 floors, 8 of which where parking garage.

Did anyone see the massive hole in the ground that needed to dug at Congress and 3rd for a parking garage at the bottom of the new construction? That ain't cheap. Density + cars = very expensive.

It would be great to see a more free market for parking.

[dv1033]

Originally Posted by veloman777

I worked in a building downtown that was 12 floors, 8 of which where parking garage.

Did anyone see the massive hole in the ground that needed to dug at Congress and 3rd for a parking garage at the bottom of the new construction? That ain't cheap. Density + cars = very expensive.

It would be great to see a more free market for parking.

I agree along with some private and public mass transit options.