Curb parking has been around forever—it's all we know! However, curb parking is a luxury item, and it is also limited. How is your curb being used? Who needs access to your curb? Is on-street parking the only way to give customers access to the business district, or could that space be remodeled to serve a different purpose?   

  

Hello, Christmas season 2024: the delivery services might need space at the curb! Amazon, Uber, Lyft, FedEx, and Uber Eats bring supplies and emergency carbohydrates to customers and businesses every hour. Until loading zones are built into buildings, the curbs must provide space for drop-off services. Business depends on those faithful drivers to deliver necessities; could we make space for their regular and reliable deliveries that make companies run?  

  

What would be affected if we reconsidered and reorganized the highly demanded curb space? Improved space management could put parked cars in off-street facilities, increase pedestrian signage and safety, and unclog street traffic by providing curb space to the delivery services. What would it look like if the only ones at your curb were the ones who would be there for less than 15 minutes? (Here is a quick reminder that the city's job is to provide services to protect and promote business downtown, not to make money off of on-street parking.) In short, choose your hard. It's hard to have mobility and access clogged up by parking; it is also hard to get rid of on-street parking and hold the space for drop-off services.   

  

Clyde Wilson often advocates for "knowing your garage" - managers and operators should take the time to walk their parking facility. Also, on a recent podcast with Survision's Laura Caillot, the TPN team discussed with her how often a facility adopts LPR technology but never turns it on. Being aware of your physical space is essential to good management. If you have a garage, walk it. If you have LPR equipment, learn to use it. Similarly, if you have a curb, manage it! What resources and solutions do you have to increase mobility, safety, and accessibility for your customers?  We understand that modern curb management seems like a daunting task at best. However, the potential for increased efficiency and safety should motivate us to diligently manage luxury and limited items like curb space!   

  

Here are two recent articles published on curb management. Check them out, and let's continue the conversation about the value and management of the curb. 

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https://parkingtoday.com/article/kicking-inefficiency-to-the-curb/ 

https://parkingtoday.com/article/controlling-the-curb/ 

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