More cars, shrinking space puts squeeze on downtown Burlington parking
Published September 26, 2024 at 3:16 pm
Population growth and shrinking land availability are squeezing parking options in downtown Burlington.
But, a new study launched by the city aims to find solutions to current and future parking issues to ensure supply meets demand.
As part of Burlington’s long-term goals, a strategic parking management program will focus on improved parking that fits with the goals of the city’s overall transportation objectives.
“Burlington is evolving from a suburban community to a city,” reads a report concerning the downtown parking plan. “The city is changing, especially in our downtown core. As more residents and businesses move to Burlington, this impacts how we choose to get around, especially in the downtown.”
Those who spoke to INhalton.com said they were pleased the city is taking a closer look at downtown parking.
“They have to do this. It’s a problem now and will only get worse in the future,” said Hector Perez who explained that it is getting tougher to find a place to park downtown. “It’s too far for me and my wife to walk so we have to take the car. But I find that I am parking farther away from the restaurant each time. It’s a problem for us and the restaurants are feeling it.”
Julie Miranda who works in the food service industry agreed saying that restaurant operators are hearing it from long-time customers who complain there are few parking spaces available.
“There’s more people wanting to come downtown, it’s a great destination,” Miranda said. “But they will stop coming if they can’t get here. Most people don’t take the bus when they are going out to dinner. I guess they can take an Uber but that’s not cheap.”
Some social media users have complained that intensification and condos are taking up spaces where motorists used to park downtown.
“That’s kind of true,” said Miranda. “You don’t want to have to buy a condo just to come downtown.”
However, she quickly added that those who now live in downtown condos are coming into the restaurants and shops downtown.
The preamble to a survey that has just been released by the city points out that parking plays a crucial role in the way residents move around the city.
“Where you can park, for how long and how much it costs determines if you walk, cycle, take transit, drive or ride share. It also affects housing prices and the look and feel of our downtown,” the preamble states.
According to the city’s parking management plan, solutions that will be considered include a review of current on-street public and parking lot options, looking into public-private partnerships to expand the parking supply, assessing parking enforcement strategies and efforts, and developing modes of transportation the rely less on cars, among other options.
The survey, which can be found here, asks questions such as why do you travel downtown? Where do you park when you are downtown? How long does it take for you to find a spot? How far do you have to walk to your destination once you have found a parking spot?
Open to Oct. 15, the results of the survey are expected to be released later this year.
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