Few issues may seem as mundane and at the same time, as integral to small businesses, as parking. For all the triviality to the casual observer, any business owner or urban planner knows that parking impacts all businesses on a multitude of levels: customer access; foot traffic ingress and egress; municipal and urban planning; investment of revenue and profit generation. Talk to anybody who regularly ventures into any downtown area, and they are likely to complain about parking: not enough space; poorly spaced places: expensive lots/garages or meter rates.
In the general sense, few can argue that parking is a problem in the country, at least from a space-specific perspective. Research has shown that there are at least four parking spaces for every available car in the United States. However, the contrast between the vast, empty parking lots surrounding a large box store, to the typical consumer complaint of having to circle multiple blocks in each downtown district to find an available parking spot, is standard in any public environment. And if you are a business owner in an urban or downtown area and have limited parking spaces available, you are likely to turn away potential customers.
Whether you are in an urban area, a suburban commercial center, or a rural outpost, addressing parking issues can help you connect with customers and drive up your establishment.
In the most simplistic view, parking directly affects your business if customer flow is discouraged or deterred. If you are consistently running low on available spaces, potential customers will likely take their business elsewhere—and it may happen unknowingly. If parking areas are not safe or maintained, that may well discourage customer flow or return business. Spaces that are not clearly marked, and a lack of clearly defined crosswalks can present danger for both automobiles and foot traffic. Lack of proper lighting or surveillance cameras can put vehicles at risk for vandalism and theft. However, it is an individual business’ choice if they would benefit or require parking technology, or CCTV installed in their parking areas.
With people spending an estimated 17 hours a year looking for a parking space, the rental of commercial space for parking may be imperative for some businesses and can enhance positive customer experience. Most patrons would prefer establishing relationships with businesses where parking is safe and readily available, as opposed to driving aimlessly in search of a parking space. In addition to enhancing customer experience, it can also help alleviate traffic congestion.
Beyond improving customer experience, safe and sufficient parking is advantageous to your workforce. The ability for your employees to find a parking space should be a standard expectation, not an amenity. It should not be a chore for them to get to work every day. Consider assigned parking spaces, or reserve designated areas for your employees’ needs.
All of this can lead to increased revenue, but parking maintenance presents an increase in operational costs. Because of the high costs usually attached to it, physical maintenance often gets ignored, or short changed until the need for upgrades become imperative. However, with the advent of technological advancements, businesses have turned to ‘smart’ parking management solutions that can significantly cut down operating costs.
Intelligent parking solutions use Bluetooth technology and infrared sensors to monitor the parking area, help customers or employees find open spaces and guide drivers to that space. This reduces wear and tear on physical parking lots and reduces energy related costs with less carbon emissions being generated from constant driving.
As for the physical space itself, parking lots are less costly than garages, which typically include higher operating costs and more expensive maintenance. But the main questions to consider are how many cars you need to accommodate; what is the walking distance from parking space to business locale; and if a management system would be beneficial to you. Research indicates that most parking areas are usually only 60% to 75% full, leaving much space unused because of improper management. Parking platforms such as Wayleadr can help in monitoring and forecasting parking occupancy. Google Earth Pro is another tool anyone can use for free. The polygon tool allows users to highlight or label on-street parking spaces or lots, and you can add layers to show only on-street, off-street, or specific parking types.
This data can show the relationship between the length of time people occupy parking spaces and nearby businesses, and to see if on-street spaces are properly timed. It can also show if there is a need for nearby hourly or off-street daily parking. It may identify an overabundance of parking in one area but not another.
However, many urban planners and developers find that too much land is already dedicated to parking, and free parking is not the boon visitors believe it to be. In many large cities, companies, whether they are commercial businesses or housing/dwelling spaces, are required to construct adequate parking spaces, in the form of garage or open lots. By virtue of the spaces being finite, the cost of construction and maintenance is passed on via consumer goods cost, meaning even folks who are walking or taking public transportation are still paying for that “free parking”. In densely populated cities, the spaces built to accommodate housing or retail parking are costly, and those costs are passed on again through consumer goods or rent and property taxes.
Understanding parking management, though, is not a one-time fix, as conditions and needs change as tenants come and go.
By taking proper inventory, planners can better determine their needs. If it is street level parking, consider if it is diagonal or parallel, back-in or front-in; time restrictions; cost; means of payment collection; enforcement methods; and violation penalties. For off-street parking, business owners need to note if it is surface level or garage; number of spaces; owner/management of space; and payment methods. Plus, you need to understand the businesses around you, if they are a customer-focused business that relies upon on-street parking, or offices that may have very little in person customer interaction. Areas that have more shops and restaurants are likely to have available parking spaces occupied for longer periods of time, as visitors are likely to mingle or go from location to location. All this data should be taken into consideration when mapping the needs of your business.
However, many urban dwellers find parking to be detrimental to small businesses’ thriving. In fact, car ownership itself is often too expensive compared to using public transportation and can mitigate the very nature of a local small business community. A neighborhood with say, ground level parking garages with townhomes or apartments constructed on top, can impart a drab cityscape to the neighborhood, especially with the attendant curb-outs and drive-in ramps that jettison into neighborhood streets. Often, these street level parking garages will have elevators that will drop patrons at the equivalent of a ground level fire escape walkway. Plus, the long stretches of flat brick building add to a flat neighborhood look, instead of, say townhouses or apartments with individual green spaces or local retail shops and restaurants.
People who live in such urban areas are less likely to own a car, and more likely to patronize small businesses, shops and restaurants that are literally within minutes of walking distance. If the same person must deal with a car, it would be easier to drive to the suburbs and patronize bigger box retail locations, where they are more likely to meet their needs under one roof and parking is plentiful–instead of driving a block or two, find street level parking in a dense neighborhood—or parking in similar ground level structure–and then having to walk several minutes to a given establishment. In this sense, large parking structures in urban neighborhoods have less benefit to small independent businesses themselves.
Still research has found that well-designed parking programs can improve access to small businesses, promote job growth, increase housing opportunities, provide funding for municipalities, and even complement the aesthetics of the community.
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