16-10SDOT: Seattle Business District Paid Parking Analysis
CONTACT INFORMATION
Organization: Seattle Department of Transportation
Name: Mary Catherine Snyder
Title: Parking Strategist
Phone: 206-684-8110
Email Address:
Street Address: PO Box 34996, 700 5th Avenue
City, State, and Zip Code: Seattle, WA 98104
Please provide some background information about your organization
The Seattle Department of Transportation's mission is to deliver a high quality transportation system for Seattle—a safe and reliable transportation system which enhances neighborhoods, the environment and the economy. Our vision is a vibrant Seattle with connected people, places and products. The viability of our neighborhoods and the health of our region's economy are dependent upon access and mobility. The Transit and Mobility Division works to improve transportation choices, while managing a limited parking supply with pricing to support business district access, sustainability, and economic development goals. Their work includes transit planning and the purchase of transit services; streetcar planning and operations; car share and bike share; transit capital project management; active streets; education and encouragement to reduce drive-alone trips; off-street parking partnerships; and management of the city's on-street parking pay stations, load zones and parking permit programs.
PROJECT INFORMATION
Please indicate which of the following topic areas relate to your project (select all that apply):
- Public Policy Analysis and Evaluation
- Metropolitan and Urban Policy
- Public Finance and Budgeting
Please describe the problem, challenge, or opportunity that the consultant team will address.
This project will conduct a program evaluation of Seattle’s paid parking system, via the Annual Paid Parking Studies. More information is here: SDOT will provide results from our six completed annual studies since 2010. These studies record on-street parking availability in downtown Seattle and other dense business districts such as Capitol Hill, Ballard and the U-District. Through our Performance-Based Parking Pricing Program, SDOT makes rate changes every year so to achieve a performance target of one to two spaces open and available on each city block throughout the day. Since 2010 we have or will make over 100 specific parking rate changes. This project may be of interest to those familiar with Dr. Don Shoup’s work and programs that use parking pricing to affect travel behavior and provide environmental benefits. The Performance Pricing Program has been nationally recognized as a best practice for city on-street parking management.
What would you like to find out or have accomplished; what is the desired deliverable?
We are interested in the following outcomes -
- Understand trends of parking activity in downtown Seattle and dense business districts over the last six years and for specific parking and vehicle issues
- Help students learn about how cities manage and make decisions about street parking and city parking management
- Co-publish results in transportation or urban planning journals (e.g., Transportation Research Board/Record)
What are some key tasks the consultants will perform to complete the project?
- Analysis of paid parking availability trends, year over year and by area of the city, and for specific vehicle issues
- Development of evaluation metrics to test how well the program has been able to meet performance targets
- Publish report, paper and or poster with results
What resources are available to complete the project (e.g., access to data, support from staff, etc.)?
- Annual Paid Parking Study results and data
- Performance Based Parking Pricing Program information
- Staff availability to provide program information, direction and review of results and materials
How many consultants is your project suitable for? Select all that apply
- 2
- 3
Have you submitted a research project to the Public Service Clinics before?No
If students are interested in your topic and have questions, can they contact you directly?Yes