Compact Parking Spaces

[DalLove444]

Dallas To Do Away With Compact Parking Spaces - News Story - KXAS | Dallas

Dallas To Do Away With Compact Parking Spaces
POSTED: 6:56 pm CST January 5, 2008
UPDATED: 7:20 pm CST January 5, 2008
http://www.nbc5i.com/news/14986441/detail.html
DALLAS -- The Dallas City Council plans to do away with compact parking
spaces in new lots.

Video (http://video.nbc5i.com/player/?id=201557)

For decades, Dallas has permitted more than a third of its spaces to be
compact. At 7 1/2 feet wide, the spaces are a foot tighter than regular
spaces.
In busy lots, regular spaces can be scarce. Kay Booth said she drove
around three times and waited in order to get a parking spot.
"I got a big car, I can't park in the little spaces," she said. "And you
can, but you won't be able to get out."
Driver Al Bailey said it doesn't make sense to have so much compact
parking.
"To have unused spaces out here because a lot of cars don't fit doesn't
make much sense to me," he said.
Another driver said most people drive larger cars because of
considerations such as children and car pools.
Some people who drive small cars also complained about compact spaces.
Leslie Barry said it can be difficult to get in and out of the car,
especially with a baby.
Some drivers cope with the small spaces by parking in two of them.
City council members want to do away with compact parking in future lots.
Driver Janet Peters said she's glad to hear it, saying she will "vote for
those people."
City leaders said they are leaning toward smaller lots with big spaces
instead of bigger lots, hoping transit and pedestrian-oriented development
will reduce the need for parking in the future.

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Ok, now take the headline: "The Dallas City Council plans to do away with compact parking
spaces in new lots." Do you all think this means the city will allow NEW SURFACE LOTS downtown? If so they're taking a HUGE step backwards. Or do they mean multi-level GARAGES? What do yall think? :2baffled:

[dfwcre8tive]

Bad idea, especially when many people are buying smaller cars now. But if their main goal is to get rid of large parking lots all together, maybe it could work.

"City leaders said they are leaning toward smaller lots with big spaces
instead of bigger lots, hoping transit and pedestrian-oriented development
will reduce the need for parking in the future."

[FoUTASportscaster]

The big question is What becomes of parking zoning. The code requires 3.7 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of retail (one of the highest in the country). Compact spaces were allowed for 35% of the total spaces. If the parking zone stays at 3.7, then it will have to be bigger lots. If the number of spaces is reduced, then we are talking.

There has been many a historic structure demolished to make way for the parking requirement of a new or rehabbed building. Places like the Bishop Arts District, with its mostly intact historical structures, would benefit from a reduced parking ordinance.

[jsoto3]

This is a very bad idea. This will make designing parking garages (especially with towers on top of them) on tight urban sites tougher. The ability to have smaller spaces lends some flexibility to architects and results in more efficient structures. How about we still permit compact parking spaces, just allow a smaller percentage of the overall parking count to be compact, and reduce the total parking required?

[interestedobserver]

I'm all for it. It's hard enough to park a compact car in a compact space.

Ironically, the very day KXAS aired the story (1/4), I had earlier been circling in the same lot from where they broadcasted (Lincoln Park at 75 and NW Highway), passing up a handful of compact spots which were being encroached upon by vehicles in adjoining spaces.

Hopefully door dings will be reduced as an additional benefit.

[Columbus Civil]

Great idea! Compact parking spaces are too tight even for the smallest of cars.

[logan]

This is fantastic! I always talk about how compact spots are pointless to save space because people park in two of them or they are over the lines and only a motorcycle could fit. People with compact cars should HAVE to park in compact spots. There always seems to be a bunch of minis and hondas parked in the normal spots and an F450 parked in two compact spots in my garage. ha.

Also, agreed that this is bad if parking garages now have to be larger because the number of spaces still must be the same.

[Highway 6]

This is fantastic! I always talk about how compact spots are pointless to save space because people park in two of them or they are over the lines and only a motorcycle could fit. People with compact cars should HAVE to park in compact spots. There always seems to be a bunch of minis and hondas parked in the normal spots and an F450 parked in two compact spots in my garage. ha.

Also, agreed that this is bad if parking garages now have to be larger because the number of spaces still must be the same.
I agree with logan. It's annoying to find a regular-sized parking space occupied by a compact car (or a motorcycle) in a crowded parking lot when there are compact spaces available.

The best way to handle this is to do away with compact spaces entirely. Sure, you can argue that compact spaces might give architects some additional design flexibility. But it can't be that big a deal. I was always suspicious about the motivation behind compact spaces anyway. Do away with them.

[Rob]

It's just as annoying finding massive SUV's crammed into compact spaces when there are large spaces open a little ways away. I see this all the time at the Barnes and Noble across from Northpark.

[ericthegardener]

It's just as annoying finding massive SUV's crammed into compact spaces when there are large spaces open a little ways away. I see this all the time at the Barnes and Noble across from Northpark.

I'd say it's more annoying. Compact spaces are designated for compact cars only. Regular spaces are NOT designated only for oversize vehicles.

[mjblazin]

Since these spaces appear to be a sleight of hand to get around parking requirements, why not just end the parking requirements? If a business doesn't provide enough parking, they lose customers. Why is it the city's job to manage that function for the business owner? Let the owner label his or her spaces as desired.

[DalLove444]

Ok, but does all this mean that a few parking spaces will be eliminated? Hope dallas doesn't destroy anymore historic structures for parking, or eat up the land. Remember the Davis lot(before ThirdRail), hmmmm??? lol

[Mballar]

I say place signs in front of the compact spaces that read "Will Your Vehicle Really Fit Here"

[DalLove444]

^^lol......or maybe put pavement markings showing the size of each space

[jdwillis]

Drive one of these made in America, all electric cars and you won't have any problem finding a parking space! I've seen one of these driving around Garland on more than one occasion!
http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/images/nmg_yellow_1.jpg

[jsoto3]

Transportation and Environment Committee briefing presentation to be given tomorrow:
ftp://ftp.dallascityhall.com/TEC/TEC_011408_Compact Car Parking.pdf
Some interesting ideas being considered (i.e. eliminating parking requirements downtown)!

[FoUTASportscaster]

Holy crap, reading that made me think that Dallas is trying to become a Central City. Then I read the Trinity Tollway thread and then I go back to wondering.

[trolleygirl]

Since these spaces appear to be a sleight of hand to get around parking requirements, why not just end the parking requirements? If a business doesn't provide enough parking, they lose customers. Why is it the city's job to manage that function for the business owner? Let the owner label his or her spaces as desired.

The issue is space, not the free market. And I think that the council needs to also consider the environmental health of the city with so many parking lots. Surface lots are big, heat trapping devices. We need less of that, or require that new surface lots be made with a permeable material. Yeah it's more expensive than asphalt, but it's not the city's job to worry about private business expenses, let the market worry about it....

My s/o drives a Honda Fit. It fits everywhere. And, yes it's annoying to try to get into the compact space when you're surrounded by two giant monster trucks. And then you look around the lot and find a bunch of normal sized spaces way out in the far end of the lot. That is plain infuriating to me.

I was at a garage on Elm and Harwood last week and I fit the Fit perfectly and comfortably in one of the compact spaces on the second level. When I left, I had to get in from the passenger side, because some idiot parked his '88 Toyota Camry (yes a sedan but no, not a large car) that could have totally fit into the space. The problem is that he didn't try to straighten up. So, I don't think there's a problem with compact spaces, the problem is when people are a) too lazy to walk because they have big vehicles; b) too lazy to park right, because you will have to adjust if you want a larger "compact" car to fit in the spaces.

I think the problem is sheer laziness. Big, Fat, Lazy Dallas!!!

[SkyLife]

This is a very bad idea. This will make designing parking garages (especially with towers on top of them) on tight urban sites tougher. The ability to have smaller spaces lends some flexibility to architects and results in more efficient structures. How about we still permit compact parking spaces, just allow a smaller percentage of the overall parking count to be compact, and reduce the total parking required?

Architects can't blame the size of the parking space on their challenges. Many of the recent "luxury": developments have these tiny spaces - isn't that odd? Paying +$500,000 for a condo and having to park too close to your neighbors car - it's silly.

The size of parking spaces have been down-sized for economic reasons and this has been very short-sighted. Worst case - parking (underground) costs about $40 PSF. Above ground spaces may be $30 PSF. For this marginal amount developers opt for above ground and we get 6-10 floors of parking.

Changing the width of the space from 9 to 7.5 feet doesn't make a big difference. This is just more of the misleading "value-engineering" schemes of architects and builders. Less is less. Buyers notice.