Could Auctions Solve Urban Parking Woes?

from the free-parking dept

Mon, Feb 26th 2007 8:48am — Joseph Weisenthal

Complaints about the difficulty of finding parking are pretty common in many cities, and it should be obvious that the existing system is fairly inefficient. As an economist would see it, it's far better to have people pay for parking with money (which goes to someone else) than to pay for parking with time spent circling around the block, which benefits nobody. A new startup is hoping to tackle this inefficiency by introducing an auction system, whereby drivers can bid on available spots in real time, using their mobile phones. Initially, the system will be limited to parking spots in private garages and driveways whose owner may not be occupying them. Eventually, the company will also offer street side parking as well, although it's not clear how that will work. Unfortunately, it's this latter area that really needs a solution, since finding spots in expensive parking garages usually isn't the hard part. This is not a bad area for a company to pursue, since it's certainly an area that it needs work, but there a few problems. First, an auction process consumes time, which is the one thing that you're hoping to save. Secondly, the company will have to build up a sizable critical mass for it to be useful, something that's going to be very difficult to attain. Most importantly, the underlying problem is often the result of bad urban planning, meaning that there can't be much of a solution until more fundamental issues are resolved. In the meantime, there are a number of existing services that tell drivers where there are open spots, which will probably prove more useful to most people.

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18 Comments

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Jennx, 26 Feb 2007 @ 9:05am

Uhm...
So what about the laws in some of these cities that says you can't use the cell phone while driving?
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Merlin, 26 Feb 2007 @ 9:11am

Copy of Another service
This sounds like SpotScout Inc. is trying to emulate what Tom Page has already done in parts of England.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6383737.stm?ls
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Dj RaYz, 26 Feb 2007 @ 9:26am

In those areas, space is really limited, and lots of people take the "tubes" (subways). They have a really good subway system that takes them anywhere. Where as here, many people get around in cars. I don't think this will catch on to lots of people.
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James, 26 Feb 2007 @ 9:32am

Paying for Parking is BS
In cities where there is not decent public transportation, the parking should be free, period. In cities where you have VERY GOOD public transit, I'll listen.

Its completely rediculous when some idiot (here in Atlanta, GA) buys a block of land across from restaurants, paves it and charges $5 a car to park... completely and utterly rediculous.

Yeh yeh make your argument land is expensive, blah, blah, blah, I don't care... a decent amount of parking (in a city that is COMPLETELY reliant on cars) for each of these businesses should be free, which is not the case.
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Fed Up, 26 Feb 2007 @ 9:37am

Capitalism At Its Best
Great, so now only the rich get to park? All this does is insure that those with the money get all the preimum parking and those without are left to drive in circles. This is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of. But then in a land where money is god what can you expect.
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Jack Deth, 26 Feb 2007 @ 9:42am

I wish parking was $5.00, around Boston it is more often $20.00 While there is public transportaion it shuts sown before the bars/clubs close, so you are still forced to drive in some circumstances. The article failed to mention public transportation as part of urban planning, I agree with the previous poster, it is not fair for cities/towns to charge for curb space when they are not providing a decent alternative to driving.
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Ralf Jonez, 26 Feb 2007 @ 9:45am

try parking it in the curb for FREE- NY style!
There are always ways to find a good parking space regardless of the location.

Should one want to find a free parking space, never give up and always be persistent in finding one.

Right here in New York, many people depend on cars as their primary transportation, whereas the subways or the LIRR comes as an alternative or secondary mean. And, sure we pay for a parking spot if it resides on a commercialized area and etc., but other thanr that there's no need to pay for jack if someone wants to leave their car unattended just to hang out with friends near a club or even just hit the mall with their boyfriend/girlfriend for some light shopping.

..That is if you're in Washington Heights and you realize that the spaces between cars are smaller than your '78 Chevrolet ...
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kweeket, 26 Feb 2007 @ 9:48am

Re: Capitalism At Its Best
The article about "bad urban planning" says that the correct price for metered parking should result in a 15% vacancy rate - any emptier, and the price is too high, any fuller and the price is too low (as it is currently).

And it's more likely that those without any money will walk or use public transportation, anyway.
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Jezsik, 26 Feb 2007 @ 9:57am

Solving the wrong problem
The problem isn't enough parking spaces, the problem is that there are too many cars. Let's double or triple the parking rates and use the income to support GOOD public transit.
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Vincent Clement, 26 Feb 2007 @ 10:28am

Re: Paying for Parking is BS
You make no argument about why parking should be free? Only that it is ridiculous that you have to pay for it due to a lack of decent public transit. Do you honestly believe that free parking is really free?

Why do you call the person in Atlanta, GA an idiot? Seems to me that he has noticed that there is demand for parking and decided to provide a much needed service. The restaurants benefit by not having to investment time and money in the provision and maintenance of off-street parking. Seems like a win-win to everyone.
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Vincent Clement, 26 Feb 2007 @ 10:37am

I take issue with your characterization that this is "bad urban planning". Many urban planners are not big fans of parking requirements. However, the traffic engineers keep insisting that businesses have to provide on-street parking to avoid parking problems. Guess who the politicians listen too?

Most uses in my downtown are not required to provide on-site parking. Yet, there is an abundance of private and public parking. In fact, two private parking garages have gone into receivership due to the over supply of parking spaces. The biggest complaint about parking is not the supply of parking but the location of parking.
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Vincent Clement, 26 Feb 2007 @ 10:40am

Re: Re: Capitalism At Its Best
15% is way to high a figure. Something around 4 to 6 percent would represent a balanced market. Keep in mind that on-street metered parking is supposed to be for short-term parking, usually two hours or less, preferably an hour or less.
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Vincent Clement, 26 Feb 2007 @ 10:42am

Re: Solving the wrong problem
Let's stop subsidizing one activity by taxing another. I question your statement that "there are too many cars".
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James, 26 Feb 2007 @ 11:03am

Re: Re: Paying for Parking is BS
You might see it as win-win, but only for the guy w/the parking lot. Also, these companies may not realize it (and you either) but these places can and do actually suffer and lose some business due to the parking debacle.

In this particular case when deciding where to eat, I do take their lack of decent parking into consideration before eating there.

One last note...... I don't have to make an argument for WHY it should be free. It should be completely obvious that a city that makes its citizens dependent on cars should factor half-way decent parking into the whole thing.
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kweeket, 26 Feb 2007 @ 11:04am

Re: Paying for Parking is BS
If everyone in a city was guaranteed "free" parking, I can't imagine it looking like a city anymore. Even with underground parking and multi-story garages, you'd end up with widely spaced strip malls surrounded by acres of parking lots - the name for that is suburbia and there is plenty of that already.

Not to mention that in your scenario, those without cars (often the poorest) would be subsidizing those with cars.

"Of course there's never enough parking. If you gave everyone free pizza, would there be enough pizza?"
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James, 26 Feb 2007 @ 11:14am

Re: Re: Paying for Parking is BS
kweeket you'll note I didn't say "free parking for everyone", just decent free parking before you start breaking out the pay lots.

and businesses, that have a (parking) lot w/stores, that are within walking distance of other places (clubs, restaurants, etc.) that CLOSE earlier and aren't open when those other places are, SHOULD NEVER be able to charge (for the use of their empty non-used parking). ;-)

yeh, ... i know that last part is too idealistic, but anyways.
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yossi, 26 Feb 2007 @ 2:21pm

Re: Uhm...
simple, you just need to pull over to bid
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Jdog, 26 Feb 2007 @ 9:39pm

Great
The article mentions that one problem with this is the relative lack of mobile broadband penetration. Implying, of course, that one must surf the web via their phone, while driving around (obviously they aren't parked, or why would they need the service?). This is just what we need. The irony is that the places that need this system the most (packed cities such as NYC) are also the places where you're really going to cause a lot of havoc by trying to surf the web on your phone. I mean, on a straight 3 lane highway at 3am, you can pretty much get away with doing almost anything while you're driving. Surfing the web on the FDR, on the other hand, is nearly a guaranteed accident.

The only alternative to having to do this while driving would really be to just pull over in some illegal spot, put your flashers on, start surfing and if a cop comes up, move your car. Again, though, this brings in the ironic result that in the places where such a system is most needed, people already do that so much that if we add a whole bunch more people doing the same thing, it will grind the city down to a halt. I'm thinking NYC again here. There's already enough idiots who just leave their car obstructing traffic. We don't need any more.
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