Pt. Richmond paid-parking pilot will be limited to Park Place with Jan. 1 startup

    POINT RICHMOND - The planned paid-parking pilot for the Point Richmond Business District will be limited to Park Place, Denée Evans of Richmond Transportation Services said Friday.
     And the program will likely start sometime after Jan. 1 and run for 90 days.
     "If the pilot goes as expected, additional pay stations may be installed throughout the Point Richmond Business triangle," Evans said.
     That would include Park Place, Washington Avenue and Richmond Avenue, she added.

Evans' comments came in the wake of Wednesday's meeting of the Point Richmond Neighborhood Council meeting.
     

Traffic engineer Ian Barnes

At that meeting traffic engineer Ian Barnes presented the city's latest suggested traffic plan for The Point. It included having Park Place and Washington Avenue changed to one-way streets. The plan also would have changed the parking pattern from parallel parking on both sides of the street to diagonal parking on just one side, resulting in a net loss of 20 parking spaces.
     PRNC members gave the plan a solid thumbs down.
     The paid-parking pilot will have a two-or-three-hour time limit along Park Place with the normal city parking rate of $1 per hour.
     "It is important to understand that with or without increased parking stalls, paid parking is a tool used to encourage turnover which is much needed in the Point," Evans said. "And eventually other areas of Richmond."
     Outside of the business triangle streets, parking would remain free, but still restricted as to how long vehicles could park legally.
     Evans suggested that residents who live adjacent to the business district triangle look into the Neighborhood Permit Program to limit parking on their streets.
     "The idea is to change parking behavior for several reasons," Evans said. "To allow patrons access to the businesses within the triangle while encouraging longer term parking (away from the triangle) onto other streets such as Cutting Blvd... and encouraging alternate modes of transportation to the Point (i.e. carpooling, bicycling and walking)."
     The city is also suggesting there should be permit parking on Railroad Avenue near the fence to provide designated merchant parking during business hours.
     The Richmond Transportation Division will make the determination whether the paid-parking pilot program is a success, Evans said.
     "During the pilot, staff will be collecting parking data from the machines as well as feedback via an online survey that will be provided to the public (during the pilot) to determine the effectiveness," she said.
     "We are still working through the process which will also include sufficient notification prior to implementation as well as direction on how to use the pay stations."
     Answers to many questions about the Pt. Richmond paid-parking pilot, the Neighborhood Permit Program or other parking issues can be found at this link: PARKING.
     Questions can also be directed to City of Richmond parking officials via email here: PARKING QUESTIONS?