RED BANK – A parking consulting firm has suggested “operating parking like a business” to help remedy what stakeholders have called a problematic parking situation in Red Bank.
“Your parking program is broken.”
That was the assessment offered by Brian J. Bartholomew, a senior parking consultant with Walker Consultants.
On Jan. 10 at the Red Bank Primary School, Bartholomew presented a parking study that included an analysis of the parking spaces available in downtown Red Bank.
Carolyn H. Krasnow, vice president of Walker Consultants, said the firm analyzed the occupancy and vacancy rates of parking stalls in the borough.
Krasnow said the firm devised a multi-phase plan to meet the current and future parking demand in Red Bank. She said the supply and demand analysis provides a snapshot of how to best address the need for an increase in parking options in town.
Referencing her conclusions that were drawn from a parking study she conducted on what was described as a busy day, Krasnow said, “there is parking in the core of downtown … there are spaces available even at busy times.” She noted that certain parking lots downtown were full at the time of the parking study.
Krasnow said visitors are being displaced by individuals who are “meter feeding” on-street meters and parking kiosks. The practice allow individuals to retain a parking stall for a longer duration of time.
“We also looked at private parking,” she said. “You do have a few privately owned parking facilities that are available to the general public … A lot of the (parking stalls) are available to the public, but many are reserved.”
During a weekday study, Krasnow said, she made note of license plates to determine how long individuals remain in a parking stall. She said many vehicles remained in their spots for more than two hours.
“Out of 105 meters we were counting,” she continued, “16 were occupied for more than four hours. Another 11 were occupied for more than six hours that day and in some cases, eight hours.”
“The long time use of spaces creates the perception there is no parking downtown,” she said.
In the future, Krasnow said, new tenants who rent vacant shops and restaurants will account for an increase in the number of vehicles entering and parking in Red Bank.
The addition of seats in the Count Basie Center for the Arts, Monmouth Street, will also contribute to the number of vehicles entering and parking in the borough, she said.
Solutions to help free up parking spaces were suggested by Bartholomew. The first step in a multi-phase approach to accommodate parking downtown would be to hire a parking director who would oversee and manage the daily parking process.
According to a report submitted by Walker Consultants on Jan. 3, “The (parking director’s) responsibility consists of providing and maintaining the maximum number of public parking spaces in the most cost-effective manner. The employee administers a large budget, supervises parking utility personnel and conducts feasibility studies to determine needs for additional parking facilities …”
The report states that at present, “we project a deficit of (roughly) 220 spaces on a weekday during the day and roughly 100 spaces on a weekend evening with three events.”
Included on the list of short-term goals to help free up parking stalls for visitors is the creation of a parking authority. Gradually separating the funds generated from parking meters and kiosks from Red Bank’s municipal budget was proposed.
“A parking utility should be a self-funding entity,” Bartholomew said.
The replacement of single on-street meters with single space smart meters is also recommended, Bartholomew said. He said, “Pay by plate vs. pay for space technology” is also on the table.
According to the presentation, the proposed parking program does not include the development of additional parking stalls or the construction of another parking garage.
Bartholomew said the construction of another parking garage may be necessary in the future, but he said a multi-story garage should not be considered until the immediate solutions have been tested first.
If the immediate solutions do not improve the parking situation, he said, the construction of a parking garage may be necessary. In two years, Bartholomew said, the firm will revisit the idea of constructing a parking garage.
At present, paid parking is in effect from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Bartholomew suggested extending paid parking until 9 p.m. Parking is free on Sunday and all parking meters have a four-hour time limit.
Red Bank Business Administrator Ziad Shehady said a meeting would be held with the parking committee and borough stakeholders “to look at this (plan for) implementation time-wise” to determine the best course of action moving forward.