of less than 34’ and two-way streets of less than 30’, on-street parking is only allowed along one
curb face.
ESTABLISHMENT OF PARKING PERMIT PROGRAMS
Parking permit programs, especially RPP programs, are generally established following one of two
methodologies.
In many cases, City staff study the issue at the direction of community or municipal leaders for a particular
area, zone or neighborhood. The impetus for this program of study may come from the citizenry who are
upset about increasing competition for curbside parking in their area or increasing traffic congestion,
parking enforcement officers reporting heightened issues with the management of existing rules or
regulations, or community organizers concerned about trends in local parking behavior or the possible
impact of an impending development.
Whatever the source of concern, it is typically communicated up to the representative for that particular
area, who brings it to the municipality’s legislative body or executive, who will in turn instruct some
member(s) of city staff to assess the issue and return with a report and recommendations. The city staff
may undertake the study themselves or contract with a subject matter specialist. Either way, the results
of the study will commonly define the scope and scale of the issue, recommend geographic boundaries
for a proposed permit program as well as rules and regulations, and describe how the program should be
administered. This information is present in open public session, allowing for potentially impacted citizens
to comment. A final program, incorporating these comments, is prepared and submitted to the legislative
body for the community for ratification. This appears to be the process employed in Albany (NY), Concord
(NH}, Manchester (NH}, and Portland (ME).
The other methodology aliows for citizens to petition for the establishment of a parking permit area. This
is the approach employed in Ann Arbor (Mjj, Portsmouth (NH}, and Rochester (MN) for creating RPP
zones. In each instance, a member of the neighborhood or district organizes a campaign to establish a
parking permit program in their area. The boundaries of the proposed program are defined in
collaboration with city staff, but it is up to members of that neighborhood to circulate and present a
petition indicating the majority of impacted constituents within the proposed zone are in favor of the
program. The percentage defining a majority varies from municipality to municipality; in Ann Arbor it is
60% of more of all impacted residents; in Portsmouth and Rochester (MN), the standard was 75% of all
households within the proposed district. If the organizer can prove majority consent, the issue advances.
Once majority consent is established, a representative of municipal government will be charged with
studying the proposal and preparing a recommended program. This representative may be a City staff
member from Parking, Transportation, Planning, Engineering and/or the Public Works; members of an
official committee, board, or other legislative body addressing issues of parking or transportation within
the municipality; or an outside subject matter expert. This individual or body may work independently or
in collaboration with members of the community petitioning for recognition. The outcome of this work
process is recommended program with defines the following, at minimum:
e The physical boundaries of the proposed permit area;
e Rules, regulations, and criteria regarding who may apply for a permit;
e Rules and regulations for awarding a permit, including how permits are to be distributed among
constituents;
