UCLA professor prescribes cure for parking ills

There is “no shortage of parking” in Westwood
Village, says Professor Donald Shoup from the Department of Urban
Planning.

Many living and working in the area would disagree.

While businesses and patrons invariably point to the lack of
parking as one of the Village’s most pressing problems, Shoup
said the solution does not lie in increasing the number of parking
spaces or in making them more affordable.

On the contrary, he advocates an increase in curbside meter
parking rates. Such an increase would open up more curb spaces and
decrease congestion and pollution.

The professor’s idea is one of several being considered as
solutions to the Village’s parking dilemma.

Westwood business owners and city agencies also have their own
proposals.

Shoup says current meter rates are priced too low, causing
drivers to cruise around in search of a valuable open space.

This cruising contributes to traffic congestion, air pollution
and wasted fuel.

Raising meter rates would discourage drivers from parking on the
street and thus increase the number of available spaces for those
willing to pay for them.

Shoup said the city, and Westwood in particular, should
“think of curb parking the way a parking lot operator
does.”

Under the professor’s proposal, Westwood would use parking
meters as a source of revenue.

The additional money collected from the increased rates would
then be used to provide everyone with 90 minutes of free parking in
private lots and structures. It could also be used for street
improvements.

The professor said his idea is a “marginal change that
everyone can understand.”

He points to the example of Old Town Pasadena, which was slated
for demolition 1979 because of its dilapidated condition.

Following a plan similar to Shoup’s, in the ’90s Old
Town Pasadena used parking meter revenues to subsidize off-street
parking and to beautify the area.

Such efforts have turned Old Town into a commercial success.

Jeff Abel, owner of Sarah Leonard Fine Jewelers and a leading
Westwood merchant, said the professor’s proposal is “a
good idea if you can get the city to cooperate.”

Abel said Westwood had participated in a similar program in the
past, but the city was reluctant to invest revenues from the
parking meters back into Westwood.

“It was an amazing mess,” Abel said.

The city ended up using the funds to build the subsidized
parking structure on Broxton Avenue.

Abel is pushing for a new Business Improvement District to
alleviate parking problems.

The last BID ended last fall by Councilman Jack Weiss, who
represents Los Angeles’ Fifth District, including
Westwood.

The new BID Abel favors would create a “more
equitable” parking validation system.

According to Abel, participation in the validation system run by
the old BID was low because the payments made by the BID to the
parking lots were “fairly minimal.”

Abel also wants the BID “to work on more permanent
things” such as purchasing property to build a parking
structure.

Under his proposal the BID would collect assessments from
Village businesses to raise funds.

Abel said political support would help Westwood, but Councilman
Weiss “has not made that kind of effort.”

After numerous phone calls Weiss was unavailable for
comment.

Bertha Benitez, manager of the gift store Aahs!, said she does
not “think anyone is taking any steps” to improve the
parking situation.

She said increasing the number of parking structures would
relieve the current lack of spaces, although that prospect seems
unlikely.

“Nobody wants to make their building a parking
structure,” she said.

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation said it has been
working closely with Weiss’ office to formulate plans for
Westwood.

Principal Transportation Engineer Alan Willis said he has been
“meeting with (Weiss) almost weekly.”

Willis’ office has been working on ideas to improve
parking in Westwood. Plans will be finalized in four to six weeks,
although any changes would not be implemented for at least another
six months.

Willis said his office has been looking into opening more spaces
and adjusting parking rate levels and schedules.

Echoing Professor Shoup’s comments, Willis said parking
meter rates are “out of balance.”

He said, “the curb spaces are the premium spaces and …
should be priced the highest.”

Willis said his office is looking into the implementation of
multi-space meters, which would accept credit cards and currency as
well as coins.

With multi-space meters, each stretch of street would have only
one meter. Drivers would pay at the meter and receive a ticket to
display on their dash.

Drivers can then park anywhere on that part of the street, much
like residential street parking.

Willis expects multi-space meters to increase vehicle capacity
by 10 to 15 percent.

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