On-Street Parking On Washington Ave
Regular readers know I’m a fan of on-street parking. It forms a nice barrier between moving traffic and pedestrians. It also helps up road width. Linear parking is so much better than surface or structured sparking. A few years back there were efforts by officials to keep the full curb-to-curb width of Washington Ave for moving vehicles. After some battles, parking is permitted on both sides between 10th-11th and the south side from 11th-Tucker (12th). In true St. Louis fashion, this is being addressed block by block rather than a well-planned coordinated effort.
The other evening I was pleased to see cars parked on Washington Ave. east of 7th. There are no signs prohibiting parking so it seemed to just happen organically. There’s also no parking meters.
If retail is going to open and survive on-street parking is a must-have.
— Steve Patterson
No signs and no meters? That won’t last long!
While I, too, like the feel of urban streets – onstreet parking, sidewalks and activated storefronts – I also realize that most people will choose to drive to their destinations – the patrons of the businesses on Washington Avenue, the Delmar Loop, Soulard or the Grove don’t all live within walking distance. I understand your objection to surface lots. I do not understand your blanket statement that “Linear parking is so much better than . . . structured sparking.” The number of onstreet spaces is finite and can easily be consumed by the patrons of a single business on a block, leaving the other dozen-plus businesses SOL. Structured parking, done right, with ground-floor retail and/or wrapped in liner buildings, increases capacity significantly, with few negative impacts to the urban feel. If all that is provided is onstreet parking, for blocks around, you’re probably going to kill whatever retail scene you’re trying to create.