Negative Impacts of Free Off-Street Parking - Research Paper Example

Transportation Policy Transportation policy Introduction The increasing development of shopping malls within the central business districts of different cities in the United States has led to the creation of free off street parking facilities. Free off street packing is the provision of car storage facilities that are non curbside and are meant to ensure that shopping mall customers have a room for their cars as they shop. Though initially practiced within shopping malls in the rural areas, free off side parking facilities has increasingly emerged within the central business districts. Due to their internal controls by the ownership of the shopping malls, the development of free off street parking space has been considered as one of the poorest planning events in the history of building (Mukhija & Shoup, 2006). Due to the presence of free off street parking, several Americans have continued to prefer the use of personal cars. However, the state and federal government have been denied an opportunity to increase the revenue collection as mall owners continue to use this approach as a way of attracting customers. It is a good economic policy to have measurable cost for off street parking to enable regional and state governments to enhance their revenue collection activities (Mukhija & Shoup, 2006). Impacts of free off street parking The increasing population of motorists in the United States has created the need for the development of proper parking strategies to eliminate the challenges associated with increased vehicle population. Generally, it is estimated that the overall cost of parking ranges from $250 to $2000 which are calculated without the inclusion of other charges. Municipalities across the country have continued to face the challenge of increased management costs and the destruction of the parking spaces due to improve parking arrangement and lack of control on private malls. The emergence of different structures across the towns has reduced the efficiencies and room for the development flexible designs for parking lots (Mukhija & Shoup, 2006). The adoption of different parking strategies has different impacts on the economy and the environment of the country. off street parking facilities impacts on the development and economic benefits of central business districts in a number of ways which makes this approach less effective in busy towns. Due to the nature of our development, the landscape has continuously been occupied with cars as members of the public prefer using private cars as opposed to the public transport system. In most instances, cars spend 95% of their life parked and this has forced different landscapes across the country to be converted to parking lots (Guo & Schloeter, 2013). Though they are preferable as a cheap alternative to other parking approaches, the increased population in different cities has affected the economic viability of this approach. Increased vehicle population in shopping malls along major districts has been associated with increased pressure on major streets across the country and this has contributed to the emergence of large scale sprawls. As vehicles spend over 95% of their time within the parking lots, increased development of free off street parking facilities will increase the population of vehicles on the roads (Scott, 2014). Destruction of the urban fabric Before the emergence of high population automobile, the American and neighborhood streets were designed to accommodate few, less spaced vehicles. However, the continued destruction of ancient buildings and sites to accommodate the high demand for shopping malls and parking spaces alike affected the traditional landscape and design of the cities. Though the town’s area easier to drive through due to the multiple parking spaces off the streets of shopping malls, pedestrians are having a major challenge navigating their way around the cities. As a result, most city workers and employees have changed their preference and adopted driving as opposed to the use of public vehicles or cycling (Phenton, 2013). This has further increased the population of vehicles within the central business districts and lowered the quality of life of the pedestrians. Different ancient cities which have for long been used as attraction sites are becoming less favorable due to the lack of walking and pedestrian terrains. As the cities and towns continue to grow and develop off street parking spaces for the motorists, the urban fabric is continuously affected and the pedestrian orientation is diminished. Based on aerial photographs taken of different cities and central business districts, parking spaces are equal or even more than the non-parking spaces which include the streets, the building and sidewalks used by the pedestrians (Scott, 2014). Decrease in pedestrian lifestyle The emergence of free off street parking spaces within shopping malls in major cities has encouraged car ownership and use in the United States. As walking become increasingly difficult due to the pressures associated with the high motorist population in the country, the numbers of Americans who are opting to use a car to work are increasing daily. This has led to the erosion of the traditional pedestrian culture in the country that was characterized with low vehicle density in the country. Today, every American dream of owning a car due to its cheap and affordable use especially as far as parking fees is concerned (Guo, 2013). However, the resultant drive to own cars has increased the environmental pressure on the country as exhaust gases are continuously released to the atmosphere. Vehicle exhaust gases have different parts that contribute to the controversial phenomena of global warming and the resultant climate change. Increasing the development of shopping malls with free off street parking space will curtail the country’s effort to be eligible to carbon credit as its greenhouse gas emission will continue to remain relatively high. The traditional pedestrian culture will also be eroded and this will continue to contribute to poor health and living standards of the American people. Increasing the traffic is also harmful to others who still prefer to walk to work or use public transportation systems (Seibert, 2008). Impacts on land economics Though most shopping malls utilize their parking space to ensure the economization of the little space available, the development of off street parking space has continued to increase the pressure on land resources. For example, using prime lands within the central business district to construct parking space for motor vehicle owners will significant increase the strain on the valuable resource within the city. As a result, other business entities and premises will lack spacious land to construct their premises and this significantly reduces the state and federal government revenue (Seibert, 2008). Part of this land can be used by the local council authorities to construct parking spaces for public use thus increasing revenue collection by the government. Other public facilities and amenities can also be built on these spaces which have the potential of increasing the economic performance of the cities as compared to the development of free off street parking spaces. Economically, residents and shoppers must bear the economic burden of owning a vehicle and this can only be realized through the construction of publicly maintained parking spaces (Guo, 2013). Public parking spaces, however, exist in different sections of the country but their use has been limited due to the presence of free off street parking spaces. The performance of the public parking spaces and building improves the quality of services offered to members of the public by the state government due to increased revenue collection. The off street parking spaces constructed by the shopping malls to attract the customers should be discouraged due to the impact it has on the performance of other sectors of the economy and government facilities (Manville & Shoup, 2005). The development of more off street parking spaces also affects the normal development of road and rail network in the country. In most cases, these off street parking facilities are developed from the simulation of road networks and this affects the normal development of road and rail transport in the country. Though developers believe that developing off street parking facilities reduces congestion in the cities, the long term implication of their constructions lead to increased congestion and this affects the economic viability of the cities. The visual appearance and the level of traffic that off-street parking facilities generate are some of its negative impacts. High population parking of vehicles along major streets and highways remain an eye sore and affects the aesthetic beauty of most cities. During peak hours, congestion is high as motorists struggle to either park or remove their vehicles from the parking spaces, a situation that affects other road users such as pedestrians and cyclists (Guo, 2013). The construction of off street parking space also require significant amount of land ranging from 300 square feet or even more depending on the nature of the shopping malls and the level of clientele expected. In one acre of land for example, only 125 medium sized vehicles can be parked at any given time and this limits the revenues from lands located in cities and towns. Converted to other uses, this space can generate up to ten times the revenue collected from the parking fees and improve the overall performance of the cities and towns (Manville & Shoup, 2005). In an economy where the land cost is over $4,200, parking continues to consume massive portion of prime lands while generating less benefits to the cities. In most cases and in different shopping malls, land allocation for off street parking consumes more land as compared to the main buildings, a demonstration of the economic demerits of free off street parking spaces (Barter, 2010). The construction of off street parking facilities is also costly due to the town and urban authority’s requirements that make it impossible for developers to maintain such spaces. All parking spaces within the central business districts must be paved, a process that has continued to increase in cost thus making the practice uneconomical. According to construction estimates, parking structures will cost over $10,000 per space with underground parking spaces costing even more. It is therefore extremely uneconomical to continue spending large sums of money to acquire land within the CBD and develop free off street parking facilities at an equally high cost without the opportunity of charging for the services offered to the customers. The annual maintenance cost of most of these facilities is approximately $100 per year per parking space, a cost that is wholly incurred by the management of the mall at the expense of the motorist owners (Marusek, 2011). The development density of different cities and towns has also been reduced due to the development of off street parking facilities by shopping malls and centers. The development of residential units with free off street parking spaces, for example, increases the need for more parking space within the towns. This reduces the maximum potential of development as the units per acre land are reduced to cater for the parking spaces and lots. The impact of these phenomena has been witnessed more in small unit residential areas within the cities and towns in the country. For example, in the event that the parking requirements are increased for small residential units decrease the development density on the same plot of land (Manville & Shoup, 2005). Off street parking facilities also leads to increased need for curb cuts which results to the creation of two costs on the facilities. First, environmental degradation increases due to a reduction in the pedestrian environment and the development of retail facilities with residential estates. Vehicles are forced to cross sidewalks to access the off street parking facilities, a situation that increases the risks that the commuters are exposed to. A curb cut will require the reservation of an equal space as required by packed cars thus making lack of increase in parking capacity in situations where single vehicle off street parking is the only available option. As a result, the continued adoption of this approach of parking for vehicles within residential and shopping malls will increase the cost of curb cost and affect the economic viability of cities and towns (Marusek, 2011). Solving the free off street parking problem Mitigation measures must be adopted to eliminate the challenges associated with the current trend of free off street parking facilities in different cities across the country. Due to the negative impacts of the approach that this paper has highlighted, it is evident that this strategy cannot continue to be adopted without considering its implication to the economy, the environment and the lifestyle of the people (Guo, Gao, Yang, Zhao & Wang, 2012). Though some analysts have criticized the emphasizes that has been placed on free off street parking space, the fact the low income earners do not own personal vehicles does not make this a non-challenge to the economy (Barter, 2010). Despite the argument that poor families cannot afford residential parking spaces, the fact that they can make up to $1,500 in a year demonstrate the fact they are capable of paying for parking lots. This will improve the ability of the government to repair and maintain these centers and reduce land held on off street parking spaces by shopping malls. Through urban decay, poverty in different parts of the country where off street parking spaces are common can be reduced and a revenue collection opportunity created (Engel-Yan & Passmore, 2013). As a result, a contribution approach should be developed for the poor households to enable them meet the parking requirements in different parts of the suburban areas of the country. The fact that some members of the public cannot afford parking fees does not guarantee the throw away land use that has been witnessed within shopping centers and malls in the name of free off side parking lots (Barter, 2010). The development of more off street parking spaces also affects the normal development of road and rail network in the country. In most cases, these off street parking facilities are developed from the simulation of road networks and this affects the normal development of road and rail transport in the country. Though developers believe that developing off street parking facilities reduces congestion in the cities, the long term implication of their constructions lead to increased congestion and this affects the economic viability of the cities (Marusek, 2011). The visual appearance and the level of traffic that off-street parking facilities generate are some of its negative impacts. High population parking of vehicles along major streets and highways remain an eye sore and affects the aesthetic beauty of most cities. During peak hours, congestion is high as motorists struggle to either park or remove their vehicles from the parking spaces, a situation that affects other road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. Public agencies should also increase subsides on housing to enable all members of the public afford quality housing with spacious parking space (Guo, Gao, Yang, Zhao & Wang, 2012). Through this approach, the demand for free off street parking spaces will be eliminated and such lands will be used for other purposes. Despite the fact that this measure will have social and financial implications, the benefits outweigh the financial loss associated with land holding in form of free off street parking spaces. Through the development of generous parking requirements, affordable housing facilities are created and this eliminates the pressures associated with free off street parking spaces. Shared parking approach can also be adopted to eliminate the construction of mode parking space per unit vehicle. For example, in a residential plot with 100 occupants, a parking space built to accommodate 50-70 vehicles can comfortably be used through shared parking approach. This is possible because the probability of getting all the occupants at home at the same time is almost nil and the parking space will always be free for use by occupants that are home. Through this approach, the need to build excessive parking space and the adherence to the minimum parking space requirement will be eliminated, a situation that is critical in the development of other uses for the land (Engel-Yan & Passmore, 2013). Apartments and offices can also share parking lots due to the varying schedules of apartment and office users. Office employees who own vehicle require parking spaces during the weekdays when they are at work while the occupants of the apartment are home over the weekend. As a result, the apartment occupants can use the parking lot over the weekend when the office workers are away and allow the former to use the same during weekdays (Stark & Klementschitz, 2008). The adoption of car sharing approaches can also effectively assist in the elimination of the strains currently placed on the parking spaces in the country, a situation that has increased the need for the construction of more off road free parking spaces. By car sharing, automobile rental companies develop car hiring services as a way of replacing the traditional car ownership scenario that has created the strain on the parking demands in the country. by occasionally using the cars when need arises, the demand for parking space will decrease as the car renters will give back the vehicle after use without having to park them at home. This will create a situation where car owners will reduce the number of cars they own and prefer the adoption of the car sharing approach and decrease the demand on more parking spaces within the shopping malls. Car sharing can be encouraged by residential developers and owners as a way of reducing the pressure on them to develop extra parking lots for their customers. This can be achieved through the adoption of free and subsidized membership car share approach by such organizations to their residential customers. Multi-story garage parking facility has been embraced by different players in property development as an alternative to eliminating the parking space challenge across the country (Stark & Klementschitz, 2008). With this approach, buildings used as offices can be designed to accommodate small vehicles and this will eliminate the pressure on shopping and residential facilities to build off street parking spaces. Such facilities will also be charged and this can be a source of revenue for the residential owners and provide revenue for the maintenance costs of the same buildings (Engel-Yan & Passmore, 2013). Conclusion Free off street parking design was adopted as a way of attracting shoppers with vehicles to shopping malls and facilitating their stay within such facilities. However, this has changed since it has created a strain on the environment, the people and the economic performance of different local authorities. As a result, there is need for the development of more pragmatic approaches that not only eliminate the issue of parking challenges but also provide alternative means of transport for workers and residential owners. In this paper, the economic and environmental impacts of the development of off-street parking facilities within residential and shopping facilities has been discussed, providing its economic impacts and challenges to different agencies in the country. References Guo, Z., & Schloeter, L. (2013). Street Standards as Parking Policy: Rethinking the Provision of Residential Street Parking in American Suburbs. Journal of Planning Education & Research, 33(4), 456. 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