WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JUNE 29, 2017 3
Could a carshare pilot program really increase parking spaces in Ridgewood?
BY ANTHONY GIUDICE
AGIUDICE@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@A_GIUDICEREPORT
Ridgewood will get more available
on-street parking spaces by
taking some of those spots away.
That seems to be the thinking behind
a carshare pilot program across
Ridgewood that the city’s Department
of Transportation (DOT) announced
during the June 27 meeting of the Community
Board 5 Transportation and
Public Transit committees in Glendale.
Carsharing is when multiple residents
have access to one vehicle that
they rent by the minute or the hour
depending on the company. It is not
like Uber or other ridesharing companies.
The cars are usually stored in
off -street parking lots, and in many
cases designated on-street parking
locations.
Some major carsharing companies
that operate in the city include Zipcar,
Car2Go and Enterprise Carshare.
DOT has looked at carshare pilot
programs in other cities such as San
Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C.,
Boston, and Hoboken to study their
best practices.
In those cities, the pilot programs
included dedicating curbside parking
spaces for carshare vehicles, and requiring
carshare companies to expand
their services into underserved
neighborhoods.
Aft er examining studies released
by those cities, it was shown that
through carsharing, between fi ve and
20 personal vehicles were either sold
by their owners or they suppressed
purchasing a personal vehicle for
every carshare vehicle on the road.
“It’s been very well proven that the
use of carshare vehicles in the city
dramatically reduces the need for the
number of privately owned vehicles,”
said Alex Keating, director of special
projects for transportation planning
and management at DOT. “At the same
time for members who use carshare,
they’ve reduced their VMTs vehicle
miles traveled, they drive a little less
than they would if they owned their
own car.”
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By having less people use and purchase
personal vehicles, DOT charges that
carsharing may actually increase parking
availability. Dedicating 2 percent of
on-street parking to carsharing vehicles,
the DOT claims, could potentially open
up nearly 13 percent new parking spaces.
In a case study conducted by DOT,
on the three blocks bound by Madison
Street and Catalpa Avenue, and
Woodward and Onderdonk avenues,
and according to the Census Tract
551, Block Group 4, there were 1,670
residents in 379 households. On those
streets there are approximately 180
on-street parking spots, and there
are approximately 190 cars owned by
those residents according to fi ve-year
data from ACS between 2011-2015. This
would mean 10 resident-owned cars
could not park in the area.
If four carsharing vehicles were introduced
to this area and 40 members
of the service use each vehicle — for a
total of 160 members — and on average
23 percent of members shed a personal
vehicle, then statistically overtime 36
vehicles would be removed from the
area, creating 36 additional parking
spaces.
“That’s what we think is a really
amazing upside of this type of pilot, to
prove that this is something that will
translate to reality in New York City,”
Keating said. “We are very confi dent
that it will. And we think this neighborhood
… is a really good fi t.”
DOT has laid out 15 feasible/potential
locations in the Ridgewood area
where they could see the carshare
parking spots. DOT will site only fi ve
total locations — a total of 10 parking
spots.
DOT is looking to implement this
carsharing pilot in Ridgewood, and
14 other zones, by the end of the
summer. As they are in the process of
applying for permits to get “Carshare
Only” parking signs, DOT is looking
for input about locations from local
elected offi cials, community boards,
and the public.
To learn more about the carshare
pilot program and provide your input,
visit http://nycdotfeedbackportals.
nyc/nycdot-carshare-pilot.
File photo Ridgewood Times
The DOT believes a carshare pilot program will open up more parking
spaces in Ridgewood.
