Parking

Local policymakers should minimize the amount of parking required for mixed-use development. They should support travel by means other than private vehicles and encourage the creation of walkable, livable communities. At the same time, policymakers should consider the needs of people with disabilities and those with limited mobility who must rely on personal vehicles. 

Local policymakers should avoid creating excess parking space and support walkable, people-centered design. Among the solutions they should consider are: 

• reducing or eliminating parking requirements, 
• creating parking benefit districts, and 
• promoting shared and unbundled parking. 

Local policymakers should implement parking lot design standards and guidelines that make parking lots safer for pedestrians of all ages and people with disabilities. This includes proper illumination. 

Newly constructed or reconstructed parking lots should provide adequate parking spaces compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and based on anticipated disability rates of an aging population. Proper use of these spaces should be enforced. 

State and local governments should address parking lot safety in their pedestrian safety communications campaigns. These campaigns should be targeted to pedestrians and drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should organize a national effort to collect parking lot crash statistics and use the data to inform safety countermeasures.