Posts about Free Parking

Though closing the Kids' Farm would save the zoo $250,000 per year, the zoo would also lose the food, gift and parking revenue from families that have lost their favorite exhibit. When promoting the zoo as a venue for corporate and family events, the zoo touts the Picnic Pavilion's proximity to the Kids' Farm and even shows a farm animal photo. Clearly the Kids' Farm is a major attraction and revenue generator for the zoo.

Here is how the parking lot could save the Kids' Farm.

Although many visitors receive free parking as Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) members, parking is big business for the zoo. FONZ, which manages zoo parking and concessions, collected nearly $2.6 million in parking revenue according to its 2008 tax filing. Assuming a typical daily cost of $16, over 161,000 drivers paid to park at the zoo that year.

Payments for zoo parking produce more revenue than FONZ memberships, member classes, and group tours combined. Proper management of this revenue stream enables FONZ to support its own operations and its annual cash grant of over $1.7 million to the National Zoo.

The National Zoo Deputy Director, recognizing how the zoo relies on FONZ, asked the Smithsonian's Inspector General to evaluate FONZ's revenue operations "to determine whether FONZ is managing the Zoo's revenue operations in the most efficient and profitable manner."

In August 2007, the IG made 16 recommendations "to strengthen FONZ's revenue operations" and restricting the free parking benefit was one of them.

OIG identified groups that received free parking: zoo employees; FONZ employees, members and volunteers; vendors; and special event guests. The report found that "up to 30 percent of the vehicles parked in the Zoo lots [900 spaces] did not pay parking fees," and that "free employee parking at the Zoo should be restricted."

Currently, free parking is the first item listed under Benefits of Volunteering with FONZ. Unfortunately, there are no programs like transit benefits or carpools listed to help minimize volunteer parking during peak periods when visitors may abandon their trips due to full parking lots.

The OIG reviewed the FONZ benefits by noting, "In comparison to its peers, about 40,000 FONZ members enjoy the lowest annual household membership dues, do not pay admission, and receive unlimited free parking."

As a proud FONZ member, I currently enjoy FONZ benefits including free parking and animal crackers for the kids.

OIG suggested some minor modification to the free parking benefits during peak periods:

Offering unlimited free parking during the off-peak months and limiting free parking to perhaps one or two visits during peak months (with reduced rate parking for additional visits) would be a good way to provide a valued member benefit while also increasing parking revenues.

These suggestions would retain nearly all of the FONZ member benefits by only adjusting parking benefits during peak periods. Lowering the likelihood of full parking lots during peak periods benefits all zoogoers. Nobody likes to skip a zoo trip because there was nowhere to park.

Since the 2007 report, maximum parking rates have increased to $20 per day. Signs at the zoo indicate that member free parking is now limited to three hours, yet the member page still promotes all-day free parking.

The National Zoo Facilities Master Plan (2008) reiterates the need to limit employee parking. It recommends that the zoo explore "satellite/partnership" locations for employee parking. This would free spaces for visitors, many of whom pay for parking, thereby increasing parking revenue.

Saving the Kids' Farm is not impossible. In fact, there's already a Facebook Group advocating on its behalf. The zoo states that it "would need to find a generous sponsor who could provide a revenue stream of approximately $250,000 per year."

With much of the parking located near the Kids' Farm, the zoo could even legitimately add signs noting that the parking changes saved the Kids' Farm.

Full parking lots disappoint visitors. A closed Kids' Farm will disappoint visitors. The National Zoo can solve both of these problems by promptly acting on its own parking observations. There is no need to send our cows, pigs, goats and donkeys out to pasture for the sake of free parking.

It's important to note that parking is not necessarily the main or only reason that people become a FONZ. Some donors join the zoo at the household or individual member level (or higher) simply because they want to support the National Zoo. Some members like the reciprocal discounted or free admission at over 100 other zoos and aquariums.

The discounts on food and souvenirs are nice. And there's the not-so-widely-publicized free bag of animal crackers for members' children at the customer service/stroller rental kiosks. All of these benefits, a cool magazine and supporting the zoo accrue to members whether someone uses the zoo parking lots or not.

Increasing visitor traffic arriving by means other than car would help the zoo, even beyond the increase in people able to enjoy and appreciate the animals. More foot traffic at the exhibits would drive additional concession revenue. Heavy vehicle congestion on busy days often causes the zoo to use its finite police force to direct traffic. Full parking lots lead to long waits in idling cars, unsatisfied visitors who decide to leave rather than wait and increased attempts to park on nearby neighborhood streets.

A FONZ member benefits program for non-drivers would need to be compelling for visitors and easy for the zoo to administer. It also would need to make financial sense to the zoo, with the new benefits costing the same if not less per member visit than the costs of offering free parking. (This posting will not examine the costs of free parking, as it has been covered and debated in other postings.)

Bus/Rail: Could the zoo and Metro develop a way to provide discounts on Metro Rail or Metro Bus trips when FONZ members visit the zoo?

Bike: Could the zoo permit the setup of Capital BikeShare locations with special incentives for FONZ members when they dock a bike at the zoo? Could the zoo, in partnership with local bike shops, purchase discount gift cards for distribution to zoo members who park their own bike in a designated area at the zoo for at least a certain amount of time?

Walk: Could the zoo provide additional FONZ member benefits for those who walk to the zoo from their neighborhood or hotel?

Car: Could the zoo modify existing free parking benefits to encourage families or friends with multiple memberships to carpool instead of each using their free parking with a separate vehicle?

Understandably, it's easy for the zoo to provide free parking. It's a well established process in use by recreational facilities and malls around the world. It's easy to verify whether someone arrived by car. (However, as the January 1, 2011 change in parking rates from unlimited to "up to three hours" shows, a site needs to ensure that the free parking is not abused.)

Transit, bike, or foot benefits for zoo members would take some analysis and integration by the zoo and potential partners such as Metro and Capital Bikeshare. These new benefits would not be free, though neither is the existing parking benefit truly free.

How could the National Zoo could provide these or other innovative benefits for FONZ members who arrive by transit, bike or foot?