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San Francisco's parking is exceedingly low for a city its size--they were pretty much fully built out by the time the automobile became commonplace, have good public transit, and land is ridiculously expensive. So they're the best-case scenario (or worst-case, depending on which direction you're looking at it from) for parking scenarios. Friends in San Francisco tell stories about the great parking space they found five years ago the way fishermen tell stories about that huge fish they caught.
There are a few businesses with large parking lots--but generally there is a guard ensuring that the people who park there are actually shopping in the store, and they energetically tow away people who park there and shop elsewhere! But somehow I don't see a shortage of shoppers in San Francisco, even in places like Union Square where there are no open, free parking lots--it's all in paid parking structures and a handful of street parking spaces.
San Francisco's parking is exceedingly low for a city its size--they were pretty much fully built out by the time the automobile became commonplace, have good public transit, and land is ridiculously expensive. So they're the best-case scenario (or worst-case, depending on which direction you're looking at it from) for parking scenarios. Friends in San Francisco tell stories about the great parking space they found five years ago the way fishermen tell stories about that huge fish they caught.
Sounds like some Northeastern cities. San Francisco's size and density reminds me of Boston. San Francisco is a bit denser than Boston but newer, especially because an earthquake destroyed a lot of the older sections (I think the streets were made wider after the quake (?)
One thing I've noticed in San Francisco is compared to other dense pre-automobile cities, the old homes have been retrofitted with garages inside the structure. I haven't seen that done on the east coast, if there's a yard or an alley (except in New York which doesn't have alleys) there will be a detached garage added on to the property, but otherwise no garage and never inside the house itself. For example, this old neighborhood has lots of garages:
It's odd, I'd expect there would be more of an interest in adding garages in a place that gets lots of snow in the winter. Maybe because California tends to lack basements?
Quote:
There are a few businesses with large parking lots--but generally there is a guard ensuring that the people who park there are actually shopping in the store, and they energetically tow away people who park there and shop elsewhere! But somehow I don't see a shortage of shoppers in San Francisco, even in places like Union Square where there are no open, free parking lots--it's all in paid parking structures and a handful of street parking spaces.
When I visited Cambridge, MA, I would park in a business with a large lot, leave my car overnight and hope they won't tow.
I thought the article was interesting. It cited a study saying that the nationwide average was 8 space per car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nei
When I visited Cambridge, MA, I would park in a business with a large lot, leave my car overnight and hope they won't tow.
The article mentions that Cambridge, MA has a parking maximum for the entire city. I would prefer neither a minimum or a maximum, but I can see why the purpose of both.
I thought the article was interesting. It cited a study saying that the nationwide average was 8 space per car.
The article mentions that Cambridge, MA has a parking maximum for the entire city. I would prefer neither a minimum or a maximum, but I can see why the purpose of both.
So if a third are in parking lots, where are the other two thirds? On Street parking? Personal garages and driveways? Like if you had a really long driveway that's 5 cars long, would that count as 5 spots (or even 10 if it's double width)? I guess there's also underground parking and parking structures, but I would expect those to be less common than surface parking on a nation-wide scale.
Sounds like some Northeastern cities. San Francisco's size and density reminds me of Boston. San Francisco is a bit denser than Boston but newer, especially because an earthquake destroyed a lot of the older sections (I think the streets were made wider after the quake (?)
One thing I've noticed in San Francisco is compared to other dense pre-automobile cities, the old homes have been retrofitted with garages inside the structure. I haven't seen that done on the east coast, if there's a yard or an alley (except in New York which doesn't have alleys) there will be a detached garage added on to the property, but otherwise no garage and never inside the house itself. For example, this old neighborhood has lots of garages:
It's odd, I'd expect there would be more of an interest in adding garages in a place that gets lots of snow in the winter. Maybe because California tends to lack basements?
When I visited Cambridge, MA, I would park in a business with a large lot, leave my car overnight and hope they won't tow.
SF has so many car unfriendly policies, that adding a garage ups your home value by about $80k. Neighborhoods have permits and street sweeping several times a week so you'd spend all the time looking for parking or moving your car. Add that to the fact a parking ticket is $100, and the math for a garage makes sense.
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