Nathaniel Solley/Staff

In an effort to improve access to key business districts, the city of Berkeley will implement changes to its parking policies Tuesday.

The changes include varying meter rates based on the demand for parking in particular areas and raising time limits for street spots. The city seeks to address frustration over congestion and businesses’ concerns that customers don’t have enough time to shop.

Parking meters Downtown, in the Telegraph area and in the Elmwood district will use a demand-based pricing model, said Matthai Chakko, a spokesperson for the city.

“By increasing the price in the high-demand areas and then lowering (it) in places where parking is more ample, you hope to encourage people to be parking in different places and to not have as much congestion in one spot,” Chakko said.

Parking in popular areas near shopping destinations on Southside and Downtown will cost $2.25 per hour, while parking in less frequently used areas will cost $1.25 per hour, said Matt Nichols, principal transportation planner for the city.

Current parking rates across the city are $1.75 per hour Downtown and $1.50 per hour elsewhere, according to Nichols.

Elizabeth Deakin, a UC Berkeley professor of city and regional planning and urban design who appeared before the City Council as long ago as 2006 to discuss demand-based pricing, emphasized the importance of promulgating information about the new prices and time limits. It could take several months for shoppers and visitors to adjust to the new system, she said.

“If it works well, it will be a little easier to find a parking space if you really want one and you’re willing to pay a little more,” Deakin said.

In the Elmwood district, near College and Ashby, one-hour street-parking limits will increase to three hours, with an increasing hourly rate.

That came as a relief to Melissa Hatheway, the director of marketing and communications for Rialto Cinemas, which operates a theater in Elmwood. Patrons often struggled to find sufficient parking for two- or two-and-a-half-hour films, she said.

“We’re delighted,” Hatheway said. “We’re hoping this parking solution takes off a layer of anxiety and stress from everybody so they (can) come and spend money.”

UC Berkeley senior Max Jason said he would pay more for parking if it resulted in longer time limits and better availability.

“When I’m going and driving around the city, it’s been pretty difficult (to find parking),” he said.

The new rates are the latest in a series of projects in a three-year transportation pilot program funded by federal and regional grants called goBerkeley, Chakko said.

Nichols said it is unclear how the program will affect city parking revenue, but officials will present a detailed revenue report to the City Council in March.

Contact Connor Grubaugh at cgrubaugh@dailycal.org.

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Hannah Lee/Staff

Beginning in September, three Berkeley business neighborhoods will partake in the goBerkeley campaign, a three-year pilot program designed to improve parking conditions in the city.

The campaign, partly funded by $1.8 million in federal grants, aims to improve parking efficiency and encourage the public to use alternative means of transportation. The proposals were drafted using data collected since last fall by city employees and UC Berkeley graduate students who observed parking behavior in the Elmwood, Downtown Berkeley and Southside areas.

“People want to know that when they go to an area, there will definitely be parking,” said Matt Nichols, Berkeley’s principal transportation planner, who is leading the goBerkeley program. “But when there is none, it creates a reputation that whenever you go there, you can’t park. We want to change this.”

Multiple pricing approaches are being considered in each neighborhood.

In the “progressive rate” approach, the price of metered parking would progressively increase with each hour. Another suggested proposal is the “peak period” approach, in which prices would be higher between noon and 6 p.m., when there is higher demand for parking.

For some areas, such as Downtown Berkeley, the “premium area” approach is being proposed. This proposal calls for higher prices and shorter time limits in high-value or “premium” areas. Clear signs would be available to indicate to the public whether or not the area is a premium area. Similar “demand-responsive” pricing plans for parking have been implemented in cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Councilmember Kriss Worthington agrees that the current parking system is in need of improvement.

“I believe the proposed changes have the potential to help people decide their parking plans more rationally,” Worthington said. “In theory, this should really help the businesses and customers.”

Some Berkeley residents and workers voiced concerns about the proposals.

“For some people that work in Berkeley, (the new plans) are not beneficial,” said Lillian Nelson, a Bancroft Clothing Co. employee who commutes to work. “Most of the employees in the store have to take public transportation or walk.”

Students at UC Berkeley who drive to campus will also be impacted by the parking plans.

“I know when I want to go to campus, I don’t want to park three blocks away,” said UC Berkeley senior Andrew Ochoa. “I guess I’ll just be walking more.”

According to Nichols, the popularity of the plan will be measured through surveys aimed at gauging the public’s response.

“We’ll be watching (the new plan) very carefully, because we know the system is broken,” Nichols said. “We need to tailor it to Berkeley, and that’s the task ahead.”

Southside and Downtown neighborhood businesses and residents will further discuss the proposed changes at open houses held on May 29 and June 3, respectively.

Contact Jane Nho at newsdesk@dailycal.org.

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