Car-free is better than more parking

The author mentions two solutions that are appropriate (smarter management of existing parking inventory and encouraging alternative transportation) but it also calls for inappropriate options: expansion of parking facilities and converting land into parking lots.

City leaders must recognize the value of land within downtown business districts and prioritize them for housing, employment and commerce. Devoting a scarce asset like Peninsula real estate to more storage of private vehicles (used for, at best, part of the day) is illogical. Instead, a municipality’s limited resources should be used to improve walkability and livability in our downtowns. This, along with increasing access for bike, bus, train and paratransit services, increases foot traffic and contributes to economic and civic vitality. We have countless examples domestically and internationally that show us it can work if done properly.

We cannot foster future development in our Peninsula communities if we constrain valuable resources to a singular activity: personal car parking. Land here needs to be used to its maximum potential.

Finally, with less space devoted to temporarily housing cars we enhance our quality of life by encouraging physical activity and reducing the amount of cars contributing to noise pollution and road congestion. I encourage my county neighbors to make active efforts to support our local businesses as car-free as possible.

John Lambert

Millbrae