June 2005; Volume 5, Issue 3

Center Park Restoration

Ever wonder how your payments for parking are used? The Lincoln Parking System operates out of the parking revenue fund and functions much like a private business in that all expenses are covered through user fees. These fees pay for new technology, parking studies, maintenance, construction of new parking facilities and staffing. Currently, renovations are underway at Center Park Garage to update the 26-year-old facility. Upon completion, each floor will have a classic movie theme that will differentiate each level and make it easier for customers to locate their vehicles. Also, an increase in lighting and fire rated glass walls in each lobby will create, not only a more aesthetically pleasing environment, but also promote safety in the facility.

Summer Parking Specials

Farmers Market

Before browsing for fresh produce and baked goods, park your car at the Haymarket Garage for only $2. Offer good on Saturdays during the Farmers' Market.

Baseball

The smell of hotdogs lingers in the air, letting us know baseball season is here. Park at the Haymarket Garage for only $2 and take the pedestrian bridge to see the Saltdogs play. This offer is good Monday thru Friday after 5 p.m., and all day Saturday and Sunday.

Your Voice Matters!

If you have any questions or opinions about the City's public parking facilities, use the "Your Voice" online form to make sure your voice is heard.

Your Voice

We appreciate all feedback. We want to hear from you!

Havelock Parking Lot
Improve​ments

A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for June 29^th at 5:00 p.m. to celebrate the completion of the Havelock parking lot improvements project. Mayor Coleen Seng will speak about the pilot project and a guided tour will be given. The lot is located between 61^st and 62^nd Streets and Havelock, behind the Isles Pub and Pizza. All who are interested are encouraged to attend.

Project Background

This parking lot is located in the Historic Havelock District. It was chosen for the pilot project with the goal of reducing the amount of water runoff that discharges directly into the storm sewer through the use of bioretention systems. These systems use plantings in conditioned soil beds that treat and manage stormwater runoff. The stormwater will flow into the bioretention area, collecting on the surface, and will infiltrate the soil bed. Pollutants, such as grease, oil and antifreeze are reduced through absorption, decomposition and filtration. When this project is completed, plans will be developed to continue creating similar systems in other Lincoln parking lot locations.

The High Cost of Free Parking

Donald Shoup, chair of the Department of Urban Planning at UCLA, is the author of numerous books and articles related to parking. In his most recent book, The High Cost of Free Parking, Shoup discusses the pitfalls associated with free parking. The following are a few of his points.

1. On Average, the price of curb parking is less than off-street parking, making it an incentive for drivers to circle the streets looking for an available space. A 1984 study found that, in one year, drivers circling for parking spaces in one 15-block neighborhood in Los Angeles spent 100,000 hours wasting 47,000 gallons of fuel and producing 700 tons of carbon dioxide.
2. "Free Parking" isn't really free. Developers simply pass the cost of free parking to property owners, who pass it to tenants, who pass it to all customers in the form of higher prices.
3. "Free" parking increases demand for driving lanes, which further separates destinations, making it difficult to get anywhere without a car. This increases the demand for more lanes and the circle of vehicle dependence continues.
4. "Off-street parking requirements encourage everyone to drive wherever they go because they know they can usually park for free when they get there."

Parking Prices

In London it costs $7.50 an hour to park downtown.

A Canadian study by Auto-Free Ottawa found that 86% of the American workforce commutes to work by car, and that 90% of these commuters park free.

The underground parking garage at Disney Hall in Los Angeles cost $110 million to build -- about $50,000 per space. The county owns this land and their lease requires that Disney Hall schedule at least 128 concerts each winter season so that enough revenue will be generated to pay for the debt from constructing the garage.