Transportation System Plan 2018-2038

The strategies discussed below are organized into two categories – supply strategies and dem and strategies. According to the Congress for New Urbanism18, nationwide experience has shown that the most effective parking m anagem ent program use of combination of both approaches. It should be stressed that im plem entation of any parking m anagem ent approach should be evaluated in light of current local conditions including general com munity goals, econom ic issues and other factors. Som e of these strategies apply to both on- and off street facilities and other to one or the other as indicated. Supply Strategies Supply strategies seek to lim it the num ber of parking spaces through a variety of techniques. Among the many techniques that can be considered in Medford are: • Reduce Minimum Parking Requirements – through zoning, m unicipalities control the supply of off street parking that a developer m ust pr ovide. Reductions in this m inimum provide the opportunity for a developer to support transit, carpooling, bicy cling or to contribute to a municipal parking lot or shared parking facility . • Establish Parking Maximums – though zoning, establish a m aximum number of off street parking spaces that can be built as a part of a land developm ent project. This m easure is intended to address those land uses that build to accom modate peak dem and leaving large em pty lots at other times of the year. This m easure requires a careful balance be established between having too little parking and having too much. Overflow parking needs during peak periods needs to be addressed. Parking m aximums should be specifi c to land use type and should avoid placing a business at a com petitive disadvantage relative to its peers. • Redesignate Parking Spaces for Priority Users – change som e of the existing, general on and off street parking supply to special use parking to prom ote the use of alternative travel m odes and meet the requirem ents of the TPR. These could include preferential parking for carpools or the designation of spaces for handicapped parking. This designation would also rem ove these spaces from consideration in the parking reduction requirem ents of the TPR.19 • Managem ent of Roadway Space - There is considerable com petition for use of the paved roadway space: through lanes and turn lanes for m otor vehicles, bicy cle lanes, on-street parking spaces, loading zones, and bus stops. Managem ent of the roadway space and the allocation for these uses can have a m easurable im pact on the amount of parking in the region. Changing parking spaces to other uses can help to improve traffic flow, to prom ote use of alternative modes, and to m eet the TPR requirem ents. Po tential uses for converted on-street parking spaces might include: o Adding bicy cle lanes – Rem ove existing on-street parking and re-stripe the street for bike lanes, rather than by widening the roadway . o Providing transit stops – to accom modate expansions in service by RVTD. o Adding turn lanes - Re-striping for turn lanes to reduce intersection congestion. This could require rem oval of parking, which is som etimes perm itted as close as 20 feet from a crosswalk at an intersection. o Designating no-parking zones – to increase sight distance at intersections and enhance bicycle, pedestrian and autom obile safety . o Adopting street standards that prohibit on-street parking along certain types of streets or reduce the street width. • Allow Use of Shared Parking to Meet Parking Requirements - Shared parking is the use of one or m ore parking facilities between developm ents with sim ilar or different land uses. Each land use experiences vary ing parking dem and depe nding on the tim e of day and the m onth of the 18 Parki ng M anagem ent”, Transport ation Tech Sheet , Congress for t he New Urbani sm (www.cnu.org), 1999. 19 OAR 660-12-005(12) exem pts park and ride lots, ha ndicapped parking and parking spaces for carpools and vanpools from consideration as parki ng spaces for purposes of the TPR. Medford Transportatio n System Plan 12-3 Parking M anagement