unequal parking enforcement

There's an article on SF Gate about unequal parking enforcement in different areas of Oakland. A memo from senior parking enforcement supervisor Ronald Abernathy tells parking officers to give "courtesy notices" for parking on the sidewalk and parking in the wrong direction in Montclair and Broadway Terrace (AKA Upper Rockridge). Residents of East Oakland get a $40 to $100 ticket instead.

While there are some narrow streets in the hills that can require creative parking to keep the roads clear, other parts of Oakland have them, too (the article mentions Outlook Avenue which runs through Millsmont and Eastmont Hills.) Unequal enforcement of the parking regs is just wrong. Now that some parking officers have brought this to public attention, hopefully it'll get fixed quickly.

signs: Smitty's Bar

Smitty's Bar

I'm usually not out and about much in the evenings except when we go out to dinner. As much I'd like to get pictures of some of the great signs in Oakland lit up, when we're out to dinner I don't want to carry along my tripod and interrupt things with lots of picture taking.

But last night I had opportunity to be out at dusk, so I took my tripod and DSLR along Grand Avenue. I've posted about the great sign at The Alley before, but there are some other nice signs along Grand, too. First up is Smitty's bar, just a few doors up from The Alley. It's got two classic script neon signs, and the requisite martini glass.

Smitty's Bar

And just a quick side note on parking: according to the Tribune, councilmember Pat Kernighan is going to bring a proposal to rollback the extended parking hours from 8pm to the original 6pm. One of the complaints is that the increased hours, rates and enforcement are cutting down on business. However, I was on Grand from 7pm to after 8pm, and there were very few parking spots available, and while I was photographing, there was a decent turnover. According to UCLA urban planning professor Donald Shoup's formula, that suggests the parking rate is about right. It should be high enough to encourage turnover, but low enough that people can get their shopping or whatever done. Obviously this rate changes depending on demand, so that's why Oakland should implement demand-based rates for parking. There's no reason to charge the same rate in an area with lots of empty spots as in an area like Temescal or Grand Ave. where there's lots going on, and if an area is less busy at times of the day, make the parking cheaper.

blog pulse: parking II

The storm keeps swirling, and not just in the Oakland blogosphere. There's an op-ed over at The OakBook that's well-reasoned, but doesn't offer any alternatives, just recognizes that some creative thinking is needed. For some good alternatives, again check out City Homestead.

Today's print version of the Montclarion was nothing but parking stuff above the fold:

• New parking fees meet stiff opposition
• Charity flourishes after rate increases - Residents donate unexpired meter receipts to strangers
• Council turns into meter monsters
• Oakland merchants mobilize protest - Business owners consider shutdown

According to Oakland North, only 9 out of 50 businesses took part in the Thursday strike, but Michaan of the Grand Lake Theater apparently had plenty of support at another meeting. The council is listening; the same article says they're considering an emergency meeting instead of waiting until September when they were scheduled to reconvene.

And even Boing Boing is talking about parking today, quoting UCLA urban planning teacher Donald Shoup's book, The High Cost of Free Parking. I haven't read the book yet, but I've seen it quoted numerous times. Ideally parking should be priced high enough to encourage turnover, but not too high. That may mean charging different rates in different places, and/or at different times of the day. But given those shiny new parking machines, that should be easy enough to implement.

blog pulse: parking

The Oakland blogosphere was briefly abuzz with talk about Oakland's budget deficit. I even wrote about it after the special election. Besides concessions from the firefighters and various changes via the special election, one way the city council decided to address the budget deficit was through changes in parking. Longer hours, higher rates, costlier tickets, and increased enforcement.

Well, that's released a veritable blogstorm. I first read about people being upset in the Tribune or Chronicle, but I didn't think much of it. Some people are upset at pretty much any change, but ones affecting their God-given right to drive a car are guaranteed to raise a fuss. Then I read on Fragmentary Evidence about the owner of the Grand Lake Theater having a meeting, and circulating a petition to recall the entire city council if the changes weren't rolled back. A strike was called amongst businesses in the Grand Lake area. That story was all over the blogosphere (Harrioak News, A Better Oakland, etc.) Well, the threat coupled with the general uproar apparently worked. Two council members called the changes 'a mistake' and said they'd address it when the council reconvenes in September. So he's won, right? Apparently not. He was out at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Lake Merritt Boathouse today gathering more signatures, and was uninterested in listening when I mentioned the aforementioned.

While I understand people being upset about how the changes were made, and the increased costs in general, I think he's handling the campaign poorly. Lots of hyperbole (I've told you a million times that doesn't work) and no practical alternatives offered (cutting the parking fees without an alternative source of funds isn't practical) makes me want to avoid the Grand Lake Theater, not recall the council. I'm not the only one who things he's handling it poorly; Becks on Living in the O has a great write-up on the right way to handle such protests. And for some practical alternatives, check out the post from Artemis on City Homestead.

blog pulse: Pleasant Valley Safeway

I follow a bunch of Oakland blogs, which cover a wide variety of subjects reflecting the diversity of Oakland. Occasionally there will be an event like Uptown Unveiled which gets blogged across a variety of sites, but usually there's little in common except the bloggers are in Oakland.

So it's interesting when something appears in multiple blogs. The latest thing to catch my eye were various discussions of the plans for the Safeway at 51st/Pleasant Valley and Broadway ("Pleasant Valley Safeway" leaves the Monkees' version of Pleasant Valley Sunday going through my head.)

I first read Becks' post about it on Living in the O, but didn't think too much about it. While I find the mega-Longs near it to be handy for some stuff, I rarely shop at the Safeway (which a friend and I used to joke was so big you could see the curve of the earth looking from one end to the other.) I do find it interesting that Safeway is working on rebuilding plans at the Claremont Safeway in Rockridge, and about a mile away, working on major rebuilding plans for another. I figured with all the work they've put into the plans for the Claremont one, the PV one would be great. I was wrong. They plan to move the Safeway, close the Long's (it's now a CVS Pharmacy), and add parking to what's already an enormous sprawl of parking. Parking gets bunched up in areas of the parking lot at some times of the day, but I've never seen the lot full or close to it.

Transbay Blog's alternative

So when I came across a post on the Transbay Blog with a great alternative, I took note. It expands the grid of streets, and adds pedestrian-friendly alleyways. It gets rid of the sprawl of parking, by adding parking below (unfortunately that costs more, and could stop the plan right there.) And it makes the whole place a lot more appealing by having shops along Pleasant Valley and Broadway and by creating buildings of various heights, including housing. What's not to like about it? Go check out the details of Eric's plan.

So if you're interested in what Safeway is planning and want them to consider alternatives, attend the planning commission hearing on July 15th. Becks has a follow-up post there including a link to the hearing details, and pictures of just how under-utilized the existing parking is.

• Living in the O
• Transbay Blog
• Oakland North
• Living in the O, part II

Reflections on Uptown

reflection of the Fox

The other week I went to Sears to pick up a garbage disposal for our new kitchen. I had my trusty point-and-shoot camera with me in case I saw any interesting signs, but I also got a better look at the empty lot that Living in the O and A Better Oakland wrote about a while back.

I haven't been in the area for a while, just passed through on Broadway, and all I can say is wow! Uptown is looking up. With the restored Fox Theater, the Uptown Apartments, and countless restaurants nearby, Uptown has never looked so good while I've lived in the East Bay. If I were looking for a place to live, the area is very appealing. Not only is there lots nearby, but it's hecka accessible to BART.

And I'm so glad that the efforts of Becks, V Smoothe, and others paid off, and that the city and developers won't be putting a surface parking lot in the empty lot. It's between the Fox, the Uptown Apartments, Sears, and Flora, and while there's a open park space at the other end, having a parking lot in the middle of this would be an eyesore (not to mention a waste of money as noted in the above blog posts.) I just wish they could keep the space open, and extend the park at the other end. Or make it a permanent open air market space for farmer's markets, craft markets, etc. That would make it an awesome space.