Parking

DDOT parking chat with Angelo Rao

by David Alpert   •   October 18, 2012 11:55 am

We will be talking today with Angelo Rao, parking manager for the District Department of Transportation. Angelo has been holding a series of "Parking Think Tanks" around the District, and has agreed to hold one online to hear from all of you.

Unlike the interview-style live chats we've done in the past, this time, we will not necessarily just post one question, then one answer, and so on. Instead, you can enter comments as well as questions on parking topics, and I as the moderator will try to post them in groups on various topics. Angelo will be able to give any thoughts he might have, but also will read your comments and listen to them as citizen feedback.

DDOT Parking Chat with Angelo Rao

(10/18/2012)

  

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11:58

David Alpert:  Live, from DDOT headquarters in Near Southeast... iiiiiiiiiits Parking Chat! Thursday October 18, 2012 11:58 David Alpert

11:59

David Alpert:  Angelo Rao from DDOT will be joining us in just a moment. Meanwhile, please put in your comments and questions about parking. We'll try to post as many as we can and Angelo will weigh in with comments and answers. Thursday October 18, 2012 11:59 David Alpert

12:01

David Alpert:  Angelo is here. Welcome, Angelo! Thursday October 18, 2012 12:01 David Alpert

12:02

Angelo Rao:  Good afternoon everyone. Welcome everyone to our Parking Think Tank: Parking Chat. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:02 Angelo Rao

12:02

Angelo Rao:  My name is Angelo Rao. I am the District's Parking and Street Lighting Support Manager. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:02 Angelo Rao

12:02

Angelo Rao:  Today I want to focus on Parking in the District. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:02 Angelo Rao

12:03

Angelo Rao:  More importantly I want to focus on your questions and comments. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:03 Angelo Rao

12:04

Angelo Rao:  As you know, parking is complex and limited in supply. Everyone wants to have a part of that limited supply. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:04 Angelo Rao

12:04

Angelo Rao:  Our job is to manage curbside parking so that it is equitable for all users. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:04 Angelo Rao

12:05

Angelo Rao:  Some of the things I would like to hear about from you are: Metered Parking, Residential Parking, Visitor Permit Parking, Venue Parking in Residential Zones, Commercial Parking, and other thoughts you have on parking. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:05 Angelo Rao

12:06

David Alpert:  It's great to have you with us. Please put any comments or questions you have about any of those topics into the comment box. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:06 David Alpert

12:06

David Alpert:  We have a few questions and comments already about visitor parking, so let's start with that. What do you think of the visitor parking program or what do you think DDOT should do? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:06 David Alpert

12:06

[Comment From GuestGuest: ]  How do we get guest parking permits. I thought that each household would receive at least one permit. Is that incorrect? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:06 Guest

12:06

[Comment From Woodley ParkWoodley Park: ]  I think that the visitor pass program is ripe for abuse, although I know that you haven't had too many problems with it. I think you should a) charge for the pass and b) have people ask for it, not just get it automatically and c) sign something (even electronically) saying that they will obey the rules. I know that this doesn't mean they will, but I think it ups the chances. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:06 Woodley Park

12:08

Angelo Rao:  To guest, regarding visitor passes, it depends on where the resident lives. For example, in Wards 1, 3, 4, 5, and parts of 6, the visitor parking permit program has been in place for some time. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:08 Angelo Rao

12:08

Angelo Rao:  I do want to say though that DDOT is exploring a District wide visitor parking pass system. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:08 Angelo Rao

12:08

Angelo Rao:  We should have a draft plan in the spring. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:08 Angelo Rao

12:08

[Comment From GavinGavin: ]  I recently got a visitor parking pass (had to call for it—DDOT didn't send one automatically). I'm glad, because it was a pain to schlep to the police station and fill out paperwork when I had a guest. Thanks for setting up this system! Thursday October 18, 2012 12:08 Gavin

12:09

[Comment From BetsyBetsy: ]  Re: visitor pass program- it is true that if you live on a street without RPP, but most of the neighborhood does have it, you are not eligible for a pass? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:09 Betsy

12:10

Angelo Rao:  Betsy - it is true. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:10 Angelo Rao

12:10

David Alpert:  I'm just going to be posting comments as they come in about the topic; Angelo is seeing all of your comments but will specifically reply to questions or follow up if he has something to say regarding one of the comments (like he just did). Thursday October 18, 2012 12:10 David Alpert

12:10

David Alpert:  Let's move on to how bicycles, bike parking, and car parking interact. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:10 David Alpert

12:10

[Comment From GavinGavin: ]  Montreal, where our bikeshare system started, made room for bikeshare stations by using space that had previously been curbside parking. In DC, we haven't done that—bikeshare stations have mostly gone in sidewalk space. Why not use street parking space to install bikeshare stations? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:10 Gavin

12:11

Angelo Rao:  Actually, we are using street space for bikeshare station use. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:11 Angelo Rao

12:11

Angelo Rao:  For example: in the Ballpark District- 1st Street and K SE has a street station. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:11 Angelo Rao

12:12

Angelo Rao:  As well as G Street and 12th NW in the Downtown area. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:12 Angelo Rao

12:12

[Comment From ShalomShalom: ]  We have a lot of streets in the District that convert one lane from parking to driving for rush hours. Are you looking at designs that would make it possible to convert one lane on residential streets from parking at night to bike lanes during the day? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:12 Shalom

12:12

David Alpert:  That is probably not actually a parking question, so it would be the folks in the department who do the street design who would handle that question. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:12 David Alpert

12:12

David Alpert:  Here is a different opinion on the previous question. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:13 David Alpert

12:12

[Comment From GuestGuest: ]  Whoaa. Parking spaces are a premium in DC. Why take them away for bikeshare parking? How do you determine what parking spaces to take? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:12 Guest

12:13

Angelo Rao:  I know what you mean. We are trying to balance safety on sidewalks with opportunities on street for parking spaces. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:13 Angelo Rao

12:14

David Alpert:  Let's talk about neighborhood parking now. We got a few questions and comments about that. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:14 David Alpert

12:14

[Comment From Woodley ParkWoodley Park: ]  The RPP zones should be made smaller! I know people like that they can park near the Metro or shopping with their RPP pass, but they are not called CPP (commuter parking pass) or SPP (shopping parking pass). They should be for people to park near their homes. And the price should be raised. Also, there's no reason to change them every ten years with re-districting - use OP data to figure out neighborhood boundaries, and just use those. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:14 Woodley Park

12:15

[Comment From charliecharlie: ]  thanks for taking the time to do this. My question: Are you going to re-evalulate parking needs on weekend/evening hours. In particular around the west end. I see a lot of empty metered spots on nights and saturday. I'd suggest a lower rate and/or moving back to non-metered use for that period Thursday October 18, 2012 12:15 charlie

12:16

Angelo Rao:  This is a perfect Think Tank question Woodley Park. Indeed several comments have been made on the feasibility of converting ward based RPP to ANC based RPP. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:16 Angelo Rao

12:16

Angelo Rao:  We are reviewing this approach and determining the benefits for each. We will then propose a strategy in the near future. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:16 Angelo Rao

12:17

David Alpert:  Here's another related to charlie's question: Thursday October 18, 2012 12:17 David Alpert

12:17

[Comment From BetsyBetsy: ]  My neighborhood is primarily residential.We have 3 new restaurants and 2 more on the weigh. Parking is already a premium at night. Can DDOT meet with us to present the various options for enhanced residential parking to help us find a compromise between residents who seek parking and residents not wanting to hinder commercial growth? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:17 Betsy

12:19

Angelo Rao:  Thank you charlie. Definitely we are reviewing the differing operations of the daytime metering and evening use with the view of sharing these resources. For example, could evening use be designated more towards resident vs business interests or viceversa, depending on locality. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:19 Angelo Rao

12:19

Angelo Rao:  Regarding Betsy, we would be happy to meet with you at any time. Please call me directly at 202-671-1370 Thursday October 18, 2012 12:19 Angelo Rao

12:19

David Alpert:  (But, of course, please wait until after the chat to call Angelo since he is busy right now talking with us! :) ) Thursday October 18, 2012 12:19 David Alpert

12:19

Angelo Rao:  Or by email at angelo.rao@dc.gov Thursday October 18, 2012 12:19 Angelo Rao

12:21

David Alpert:  Here are a few more about enforcement and permits: Thursday October 18, 2012 12:21 David Alpert

12:21

[Comment From charliecharlie: ]  Followup question: why has enforcement on M st during rush hour dropped off for the rush-hour lanes? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:21 charlie

12:21

[Comment From AU ParkAU Park: ]  Why not plate based permiting - no need to worry about abuse and easy enforcement using camera cars. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:21 AU Park

12:22

Angelo Rao:  Charlie, what section of M Street are you referring to? If there is a problem, call 311, and we will send out a Parking Enforcement Officer immediately. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:22 Angelo Rao

12:24

David Alpert:  I think AU Park is talking about visitor passes since that question came in when we were talking about that. Would visitor passes involve the resident putting in the license plate number into a computer system in order to grant visitors the right to park in the nearby residential zone? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:24 David Alpert

12:25

Angelo Rao:  AU Park, indeed the new Visitor Parking Program we are exploring, is likely to be in the form of a hard copy booklet or virtual booklet. This approach would eliminate any physical permit or plate reading of any kind. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:25 Angelo Rao

12:26

David Alpert:  Can you tell us what is happening with expanding performance parking to other neighborhoods in the city? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:26 David Alpert

12:26

David Alpert:  Also, readers, if you have comments or questions about performance parking, put them in now! Thursday October 18, 2012 12:26 David Alpert

12:26

Angelo Rao:  We have established criteria to determine the most viable performance parking zones in the District. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:26 Angelo Rao

12:27

Angelo Rao:  So far, these criteria has resulted in identifying a dozen areas that appear to work well for performance parking. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:27 Angelo Rao

12:27

Angelo Rao:  We are working on a rollout approach that includes public involvement, to determine the specificity of each area. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:27 Angelo Rao

12:27

Angelo Rao:  We should be able to engage the public in the next 60-90 days. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:27 Angelo Rao

12:28

Angelo Rao:  regarding performance parking Thursday October 18, 2012 12:28 Angelo Rao

12:28

Do you or your household have vehicles that are usually parked on-street in DC? No  ( 43% ) One  ( 38% ) Two  ( 19% ) Three  ( 0% ) Four or more  ( 0% ) Thursday October 18, 2012 12:28

12:28

[Comment From AU ParkAU Park: ]  Yes - the resident could manage their guest permit via an online app Thursday October 18, 2012 12:28 AU Park

12:29

David Alpert:  Here's another visitor parking question: Thursday October 18, 2012 12:29 David Alpert

12:29

[Comment From Tom CoumarisTom Coumaris: ]  In revising the visitor permit process please keep in mind that many of us rent cars frequently now and there must be a easy way for car renters to get permits if the annual visitor pass is done away with. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:29 Tom Coumaris

12:29

Angelo Rao:  Great comment Tom. Thank you. We will definitely keep rental vehicles in mind in how we deal with this 'virtual' visitor pass. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:29 Angelo Rao

12:31

[Comment From cmccmc: ]  I support performance parking wholeheartedly. It's the best way to make sure everyone can get a spot that reaches their time/money threshold and keep cars from circling city blocks, creating more traffic. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:31 cmc

12:32

General RPP hours are from 7 AM to 8:30 PM Monday - Friday. Are there other times of the day that RPP should be in effect on your street? My street doesn't have RPP  ( 8% ) Early Morning (Midnight to 7 AM)  ( 0% ) Early Evening (8:30 PM to 10 PM)  ( 8% ) Late Evening (10 PM to Midnight)  ( 15% ) Saturday and/or Sunday  ( 23% ) Current hours are satisfactory  ( 46% ) Thursday October 18, 2012 12:32

12:34

David Alpert:  One of the topics of discussion has been what other users within residential communities should be able to park, or how to manage that demand. What do we do about teachers? churches? firefighters? local employees? Readers, what do you think? Angelo, how are you approaching this issue? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:34 David Alpert

12:35

Angelo Rao:  We are working on an approach to balance non-residential use with residential uses in a community. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:35 Angelo Rao

12:35

[Comment From cmccmc: ]  Also, what's your opinion on Car2Go? Will DC be seeing more of Car2Go or companies like it? A parked car is an unused car, so I imagine throwing car sharing services into the mix opens up a number of options for citizens to not have their own car(s). Thursday October 18, 2012 12:35 cmc

12:36

Angelo Rao:  We support car sharing in the District and encourage it. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:36 Angelo Rao

12:37

[Comment From NormNorm: ]  A general question: Have you formulated a philosophy/policy on street parking vis a vis encouraging use of public transit, bike-share, etc? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:37 Norm

12:38

Angelo Rao:  Treating every curbside space as a commodity, lends itself to dealing with non-automotive transportation more effectively. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:38 Angelo Rao

12:39

David Alpert:  That's a good point. Often parking debates are about whether car a or car b should park in a space, but as we discussed earlier, it could be bikes, or bike sharing, or it could be a travel lane, or a bus stop, or space for shared cars, or scooters, and so on. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:39 David Alpert

12:40

David Alpert:  What about RPPs? Should RPPs be more expensive? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:40 David Alpert

12:41

How much should an annual RPP sticker cost? $10/year  ( 0% ) $35/year  ( 22% ) $60/year  ( 11% ) $100/year  ( 56% ) $100/month  ( 11% ) Thursday October 18, 2012 12:41

12:41

[Comment From ShalomShalom: ]  On Residential Parking Permits—from a pure economics perspective, people using the streets for parking should pay a bundle. Otherwise, the City is subsidizing people to use cars over other options. But politically, that may be too hard. So what about *rewarding* people who *don't* park on the street? Give them a voucher that can be used for Metro SmartTrip, ZipCar, CaBi, etc—whatever they'd like as long as they don't register a car in the District and don't ask for RPP. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:41 Shalom

12:43

Angelo Rao:  Interesting concept shalom. This really deals with both sides of the commodity question (pay for use and be paid for non-use). Let me think about that. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:43 Angelo Rao

12:44

[Comment From GavinGavin: ]  Re: the poll, it may make more sense to base the RPP cost on the zone. In a far-flung part of town with lots of spots available, $35/year may make sense. In my neighborhood, near transit and hard to find a parking spot, it should be more like $100/year. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:44 Gavin

12:44

David Alpert:  We also have some questions about rush hour parking rules. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:44 David Alpert

12:44

[Comment From MattMatt: ]  Why do rush-hour parking restrictions on routes heavily used by driving commuters and buses end at 6:30? Rush hour doesn't end at 6:30 anymore, and hasn't for years. 16th Street NW is a perfect example: When people start parking at 6:30, it becomes heavily gridlocked. It should be extended until at least 7:30. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:44 Matt

12:45

Angelo Rao:  Thank you Matt. Each street needs to be reviewed on its own merits. Safety first. Efficiency second. Coupled with the balance with residential and business parking needs. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:45 Angelo Rao

12:46

David Alpert:  What should residents do if they think that a street's rush hour restrictions are wrong? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:46 David Alpert

12:48

Angelo Rao:  They should request DDOT to review the rush hour operations. Work with our customer service officers who can guide them through the process. You can contact them at DDOT@dc.gov. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:48 Angelo Rao

12:48

David Alpert:  Back to RPP, here is another comment: Thursday October 18, 2012 12:48 David Alpert

12:48

[Comment From BetsyBetsy: ]  Considering that some people who need a car have no option but to park in the street, I think RPP should not be prohibitive for the first permit, but should escalate greatly for multiple cars. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:48 Betsy

12:49

Angelo Rao:  Thank you Gavin for your comment on RPP pricing. Zone based pricing is an interesting idea. Establishing varying rates is a commodity based approach. I'll definitely look into that. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:49 Angelo Rao

12:50

David Alpert:  I would note that the DC Council debated doing this last year during the budget, but it didn't pass legislatively. I think Tommy Wells proposed that approach. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:50 David Alpert

12:50

Angelo Rao:  Betsy, part of our review of RPP should balance number of vehicles, private access, and cost of service. When we look at RPP in the future, these elements will at least be considered. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:50 Angelo Rao

12:50

[Comment From Tom CoumarisTom Coumaris: ]  The $30 RPP violation fee is too low. In my neighborhood night parking costs at least $15 and when those lots are full people coming in just pay the $30 ticket to get parking. $50 would be more of a deterrent. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:50 Tom Coumaris

12:53

Angelo Rao:  Thank you Tom. DDOT and DPW will continue working together to formulate an appropriate violation fine structure in the near future. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:53 Angelo Rao

12:53

[Comment From GuestGuest: ]  How many RPP-eligible parking spaces are available in DC as compared to the number of RPPs granted? Is it near saturation? I am wondering about some system to put RPPs on a sort of open market, where they would be more expensive for high-demand areas. This would necessitate ANC-based zone parking, though Thursday October 18, 2012 12:53 Guest

12:55

Angelo Rao:  Thank you Guest. One of the elements we will be exploring is the potential for RPP wait list. That is, if the number of permits exceeds the number of physical parking spaces in a defined residential area, should permits cease to be administered? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:55 Angelo Rao

12:55

David Alpert:  Thanks so much for answering all of these questions, Angelo. I know you have been doing this series of Think Thanks. What are the next steps after that? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:55 David Alpert

12:57

Angelo Rao:  Thank you David. The immediate next step is our next Think Tank meeting on Saturday October 20th at 10 AM. This is at the Mt. Pleasant Library (3160 16th St NW). Hope to see you there. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:57 Angelo Rao

12:58

Angelo Rao:  I also want to mention that DDOT's online parking survey is still receiving comments. It will be closed on October 31st. I encourage you to post your opinions. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:58 Angelo Rao

12:58

David Alpert:  The survey is at http://tinyurl.com/ParkingThinkTankSurvey. (You might recognize a few of the poll questions, which I got from there.) Thursday October 18, 2012 12:58 David Alpert

12:59

Angelo Rao:  Lastly, we are accumulating the comments from all of the Think Tanks, including this online chat, and those from the online survey, to produce a draft report. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:59 Angelo Rao

1:00	Angelo Rao:  All of this data will be summarized and presented at a DDOT Parking Summit. It is anticipated to be held in early December. Thursday October 18, 2012 1:00 Angelo Rao

1:01	Angelo Rao:  The purpose of the summit is to articulate the summary of public input and form the basis for future curbside parking management strategies for the future. Thursday October 18, 2012 1:01 Angelo Rao

1:03	Angelo Rao:  Keep following our website (http://ddot.dc.gov/parkingthinktanks) for continued updates on this effort. Thursday October 18, 2012 1:03 Angelo Rao

1:03	David Alpert:  Thanks again, Angelo. Readers, please feel free to continue the discussion in the comments on Greater Greater Washington. Thanks for joining us! Thursday October 18, 2012 1:03 David Alpert

1:04	Angelo Rao:  Thank you David and all for participating this afternoon. I'm committed to seriously consider all of the comments received today and throughout the Parking Think Tank series. Thursday October 18, 2012 1:04 Angelo Rao

 

 

David Alpert is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Greater Greater Washington and Greater Greater Education. He worked as a Product Manager for Google for six years and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He loves the area which is, in many ways, greater than those others, and wants to see it become even greater.