As mentioned here and at the Georgetown Current, leaders in Georgetown are considering developing a proposal to be sent to DDOT to reform the way in which on-street parking is administered. GM has laid out his own vision for such a program, but that vision is presented from a top-down perspective. What would be the actual experience of residents and visitors in the ultimate system? While GM certainly doesn’t speak for the leaders who are considering reform, he is familiar enough with the likely result to produce a Q & A to address residents’ concerns.
Will I have to pay more to park my car in the street?
No. While parking reform would likely call for the installation of meters or other devices on the residential blocks, these would not apply to residents. That bears repeating: Georgetown residents would not pay a cent more to park where they already park for free.
The theory behind performance parking is that you make it expensive enough to park on the street that at least 15% of the parking spaces are free at any given time. By making it more expensive for visitors to park on Georgetown’s residential streets fewer of them will decide to do it. They will either come a different way or park in a pay garage. The focus is on changing visitors’ behavior, not residents. Continue reading
