forwarddallas! Implementation Proposed Chapter 43 Code Amendment On-Street Parking Transportation and Environment Committee Briefing December 10, 2007
PURPOSE Code amendment to establish regulations consistent with forwarddallas! for approval of a range of on-street parking options adjacent to the curb 1
TODAYS PRESENTATION Context Sensitive Design of Streets Current On-Street Parking Regulations Proposed Amendments Types of On-Street Parking Existing Angle Parking in Dallas 2
forwarddallas! focuses on proactively promoting walkable, mixed environments Transportation Element emphasizes Context Sensitive Design of Streets 3
CONTEXT SENSITIVE DESIGN Steve Price, Urban Advantage One Size Does Not Fit All A new approach to street design that considers priority of each element including sidewalks, on-street parking, travel lanes and medians, based on neighborhood context, safety and mobility 4
forwarddallas! POLICY GUIDELINES forwarddallas! defines a framework of street types emphasizing pedestrianfriendly, multi-modal streets: Main Streets Mixed Use Streets Transit Streets Downtown Streets 5
forwarddallas! POLICY GUIDELINES forwarddallas! street sections encourage on-street parking (parallel and angle) in conjunction with posted speed limits on certain street types. 6
NEW ITE HANDBOOK Context Sensitive Solutions New Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) handbook provides national best practices and technical basis for a wide range of urban on-street parking solutions 7
CONTEXT SENSITIVE STREETS Important design considerations for pedestrian-friendly streets: Sidewalks/Landscaping Street Furniture Lighting/Signage On-street Parking Posted Speed Limits Travel Lane Widths 8
CURRENT CODE Chapter 43 (Section 43-62) No permit shall be granted for angle parking on public property or on abutting private property where a portion of a public street is required for maneuvering into or out of the angle parking space. Chapter 28 provides authority to City Traffic Engineer for approval of on-street parallel parking within the travel lane 9
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS (Draft Ordinance Attached) Prohibit angle or parallel parking adjacent to a public street pavement that requires maneuvering within a traffic lane, if the posted speed limit exceeds 35 miles per hour If the posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less, the Public Works Director would determine whether proposed parking would constitute a traffic hazard No impact on authority of City Traffic Engineer to approve parallel parking within the travel lane under Chapter 28 10
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS Objectives Increase supply of urban on-street parking as a shared resource and enable approval of a wider range of appropriate on-street parking solutions to suit different contexts: Parallel parking Angle parking (standard) Angle parking (reverse) Complement concurrent Chapter 51(A) code amendments aimed at establishing new zoning districts that encourage walkable mixed use areas 11
TYPES OF ON-STREET PARKING Parallel Parking Advantages Provides buffer between streets and sidewalks / pedestrians Requires less pavement width than angle parking Constraints Difficult maneuvering for drivers Visibility issues Inefficient use of on-street space, accommodates fewer spaces per length of street Not compatible with bike routes 12
TYPES OF ON-STREET PARKING Angle Parking Angle parking includes parking at angles to the curb greater than 0 and up to 90 degrees STANDARD / HEAD-IN ANGLE PARKING REVERSE / BACK-IN ANGLE PARKING 13
STANDARD / HEAD-IN ANGLE PARKING Tallahassee, Florida Greensboro, North Carolina 14
STANDARD / HEAD-IN ANGLE PARKING Advantages Provides buffer between streets and sidewalks / pedestrians Traffic calming (reduces traffic speed) Easy to park Fits almost 50% more cars than parallel parking Constraints Preferred on one-way streets Preferred on streets with lower traffic volume and speeds May impede pedestrians (cars overhanging sidewalk) Visibility issues (backing up) Not compatible with bike routes 15
REVERSE / BACK-IN ANGLE PARKING Seattle, Washington Pottstown, Pennsylvania 16
REVERSE / BACK-IN ANGLE PARKING Clear visibility between parked vehicles and street traffic Source: City of Vancouver, WA 17
REVERSE / BACK-IN ANGLE PARKING Better loading / wheel chair accessibility Source: City of Vancouver, WA Specific signage with instructions Source: City of Kelowna, BC, Canada 18
REVERSE / BACK-IN ANGLE PARKING Advantages Provides buffer between streets and sidewalks (pedestrians) Traffic calming (reduces traffic speed) Fits almost 50% more cars than parallel parking Improves visibility (safer compared to head-in angle parking) Preferred for disabled parking Can work with bike lanes Constraints Preferred on one-way streets Preferred with medians on two-way streets Preferred on streets with lower traffic and speeds Signage with instructions recommended 19
Existing On-street Parking A range of examples of on-street angle parking exists in Dallas Existing angle parking examples are not permitted by the Code today - grandfathered situations 20
Existing On-street Parking Eastbound Henderson Avenue, Between Milam & Richard 4 lane, Undivided 80 degree angle 18 foot outside lane Posted speed 30 mph 21
Existing On-street Parking Southbound Oak Lawn, South of Bowser 4 Lane, Divided 57 degree angle 11 foot outside lane Posted speed 30 mph 22
Existing On-street Parking Southbound Greenville, North of Oram 4 Lane, Undivided 73 degree angle 13.5 foot outside lane Posted speed 30 mph23
Existing On-street Parking Westbound Jefferson, West of Crawford 4 lane, Divided 60 degree angle 19 foot outside lane Posted speed 30 mph 24
Next Steps Recommend draft ordinance for Council adoption Staff will update and rename the On-Street Parking Handbook to incorporate guidelines and standards for approval of onstreet parking 25