policy
Policy is an organization's DNA. Policy is passed on to future employees and is a record of decisions. It helps to shape organizational structure, their process and technology decisions. Policy can drive and sustain curbside management.
It is vital that all entities embrace the importance of reassessing their transportation system to prioritize service to disadvantaged communities. Our industry has crafted several examples of policies to address equity in transportation service. Now we must transition from policy to effective implementation. The equity portion of our website provides examples of progress in this area here.
As entities move towards implementing equity initiatives, ensuring access for users of all abilities must be integrated into managing curb space. With consistently evolving competing demands of the curb space, progressive pricing strategies and prioritization techniques must be viewed with an “equity lens.” Disadvantaged community members rely greatly on non-automobile modes of transport to essential services, emphasizing the need for priority access.
World class curbside management programs possess policies and implementation steps to prioritize curb space access for disadvantaged communities. The programs also balance access for users of all abilities with progressive pricing strategies to manage competing demands.
Equity: Access for all users
To successfully transform from a traditional parking program to a progressive curbside management program, entities need to define a vision for the program that manages the competing demands for curb space and aligns with their culture and values. With that vision in place, it is critical that progressive programs set goals, objectives, and performance measures to track progress in achieving the vision.
World class programs broaden parking focused performance measures such as revenue generation, parking space occupancy and turnover. These measures (1) optimize person movement at the curb; (2) ensure access for all; (3) reserve the highest priority space for safety / emergency access; and (4) align curbside management practices with the entity’s sustainability goals and performance measures.
measuring success
Modal Prioritization entails establishing default and street specific modal priorities for managing curb space. Fairly allocating space to the competing demands requires (1) an entity-wide default modal priority and (2) a process for prioritizing curb space at specific sites and as part of project planning. The site / project level prioritization should reflect the street’s modal priority (curb running bike or transit lanes, commercial loading demands, etc.), tenant needs, and curb users’ docking / parking desires.
World class programs’ curb spaces function as part of the Complete Streets network, reflecting the modal priorities of its entity and tenant desires, as well as ensuring equitable access for all users. The program changes its modal priorities based upon real time use and context. It supports all users; but makes real time decisions on the curbside that favor new mobility / docking over the traditional approach of stationary parking, public transit, and static commercial loading regulation.
Modal Prioritization
World class programs use a system to provide dynamic, reservation based accessible parking spaces for connected autonomous vehicles by occupant.
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Acessibility
World Class curbside management programs utilizes different pricing, using real time demand data by location, mode, and time of day, to support the most sustainable transportation modes.
Pricing prioritization
Resources
For more information on accessible parking, take a look at the Accessible Parking Coalition's guide: