HomeMy WebLinkAbout10- DowntownParkingStudyDowntown Bozeman Parking
Study
A Project Completed for the City of Bozeman Parking Commission
and Downtown Bozeman Partnership
Prepared by Ahmed Al-Kaisy Ph.D. P.E.
Program Manager – Safety and Operations
and
David Veneziano, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Western Transportation Institute
Montana State University
PO Box 174250
Bozeman, MT 59717-4250
February , 2011
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Disclaimer
Western Transportation Institute
DISCLAIMER
The opinions, findings and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Montana State University. Alternative accessible formats of this
document will be provided upon request. Persons with disabilities who need an alternative
accessible format of this information, or who require some other reasonable accommodation to
participate, should contact Kate Heidkamp, Assistant Director for Communications and
Information Systems, Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University, PO Box 174250, Bozeman, MT 59717-4250, telephone number 406- 994-7018, e-mail:
KateL@coe.montana.edu.
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Acknowledgements
Western Transportation Institute
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to thank the Downtown Tax Increment Finance District for the funding of this work. They also thank Paul Burns, City of Bozeman Parking Manager, and Chris Naumann,
Executive Director of the Downtown Bozeman Partnership, as well as the Bozeman Parking
Commission for their assistance and interest in this work. Thanks also go to Jon Henderson of
the City of Bozeman GIS office for the provision of various spatial data. Finally, the authors
thank the numerous student data collectors who gathered the data to support this project.
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Table of Contents
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................................1
1.1. Project Purpose ................................................................................................................. 2
1.2. Approach .......................................................................................................................... 2
1.3. Report Outline .................................................................................................................. 2
2. Recommended Parking Practices .............................................................................................3
2.1. Current Bozeman Requirements ...................................................................................... 3
2.2. Past Bozeman Parking Studies ......................................................................................... 5
2.3. Montana Studies and Practices ......................................................................................... 7
2.4. National Studies and Practices ......................................................................................... 9
2.5. Guidance Documents ..................................................................................................... 12
2.6. Chapter Summary ........................................................................................................... 16
3. Parking Inventory...................................................................................................................18
3.1. Methodology .................................................................................................................. 18
3.2. Overview of Parking Assets ........................................................................................... 18
3.3. Public and Private Parking Assets .................................................................................. 23
3.4. Parking Restrictions ....................................................................................................... 23
3.5. Chapter Summary ........................................................................................................... 26
4. Geographic Information Systems Mapping ...........................................................................27
4.1. Total Stalls...................................................................................................................... 27
4.2. Public and Private Ownership by Block ........................................................................ 29
4.3. Handicapped Parking by Block ...................................................................................... 29
4.4. Permit Parking by Block ................................................................................................ 32
4.5. On-Street and Off-Street Parking ................................................................................... 32
4.6. City-Owned Parking Lots............................................................................................... 35
4.7. Occupancy Rates by Block ............................................................................................ 35
4.8. Dwell Times by Block.................................................................................................... 38
4.9. Chapter Summary ........................................................................................................... 39
5. Occupancy Rates ....................................................................................................................40
5.1. Block Level Occupancy Rates ....................................................................................... 40
5.1.1. Block 1014 .............................................................................................................. 40
5.1.2. Block 1015 .............................................................................................................. 42
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5.1.3. Block 1016 .............................................................................................................. 44
5.1.4. Block 1017 .............................................................................................................. 46
5.1.5. Block 1018 .............................................................................................................. 48
5.1.6. Block 1024 .............................................................................................................. 50
5.1.7. Block 1025 .............................................................................................................. 52
5.1.8. Block 1026 .............................................................................................................. 54
5.1.9. Block 1027 .............................................................................................................. 56
5.1.10. Block 1028 .......................................................................................................... 58
5.2. Lot-Specific Occupancy Rates ....................................................................................... 60
5.2.1. Southeast Corner Lot (Block 1015) ........................................................................ 61
5.2.2. Northeast Corner Lot (Block 1007) ........................................................................ 63
5.3. Chapter Summary ........................................................................................................... 64
6. Dwell Time and Turnover Analysis .......................................................................................66
6.1. Dwell Time Data Collection .......................................................................................... 66
6.2. Dwell Time Analysis Methodology ............................................................................... 66
6.3. Dwell Time Results ........................................................................................................ 67
6.3.1. Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. Northeast Lot .................................................... 67
6.3.2. Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. Southeast Lot .................................................... 69
6.3.3. Mendenhall St. and Black Ave. Southeast Lot ....................................................... 71
6.3.4. Babcock St. and Rouse Ave. Northwest Lot........................................................... 73
6.3.5. Tracy Ave. On-Street Parking................................................................................. 74
6.3.6. Main St. On-Street Parking ..................................................................................... 76
6.3.7. Parking Garage........................................................................................................ 78
6.4. Turnover Rate ................................................................................................................. 79
6.4.1. Turnover Rate Results............................................................................................. 79
6.5. Chapter Summary ........................................................................................................... 80
7. Parking Demand Calculation .................................................................................................83
7.1. Methodology .................................................................................................................. 83
7.2. Results ............................................................................................................................ 86
7.3. Chapter Summary ........................................................................................................... 92
8. Conclusions and Recommendations ......................................................................................93
8.1. Summary of Findings ..................................................................................................... 93
8.2. Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 95
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9. References ..............................................................................................................................98
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study List of Tables
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 2-1: Current Bozeman parking space requirements (1) ........................................................ 4
Table 2-2: Allowable reductions in parking space requirements (1) .............................................. 5
Table 2-3: Disabled parking space requirements (1) ...................................................................... 5
Table 3-1: Overall inventory of downtown Bozeman parking assets ........................................... 22
Table 3-2: Public and Private parking assets ................................................................................ 23
Table 3-3: Summary of Parking Restrictions ................................................................................ 24
Table 5-1: Block 1014 parking observations and occupancy rates ............................................... 41
Table 5-2: Block 1015 parking observations and occupancy rates ............................................... 43
Table 5-3: Block 1016 parking observations and occupancy rates ............................................... 45
Table 5-4: Block 1017 parking observations and occupancy rates ............................................... 47
Table 5-5: Block 1018 parking observations and occupancy rates ............................................... 49
Table 5-6: Block 1024 parking observations and occupancy rates ............................................... 51
Table 5-7: Block 1025 parking observations and occupancy rates ............................................... 53
Table 5-8: Block 1026 parking observations and occupancy rates ............................................... 55
Table 5-9: Block 1027 parking observations and occupancy rates ............................................... 57
Table 5-10: Block 1028 parking observations and occupancy rates ............................................. 59
Table 5-11: Southeast lot parking observations and occupancy rates .......................................... 61
Table 5-12: Northeast lot parking observations and occupancy rates .......................................... 63
Table 6-1: Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. northeast lot descriptive statistics ......................... 67
Table 6-2: Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. northeast lot descriptive statistics ......................... 68
Table 6-3: Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. southeast lot descriptive statistics ......................... 70
Table 6-4: Mendenhall St. and Black Ave. southeast lot descriptive statistics ............................ 72
Table 6-5: Babcock St. and Rouse Ave. northwest lot descriptive statistics ................................ 74
Table 6-6: Tracy Ave. on-street parking descriptive statistics ..................................................... 75
Table 6-7: Main St. on-street parking descriptive statistics .......................................................... 77
Table 6-8: Downtown parking garage descriptive statistics ......................................................... 78
Table 6-9: Turnover rate results .................................................................................................... 80
Table 6-10: Summary of dwell time results .................................................................................. 81
Table 7-1: ITE parking generation ratios for peak demand based on use .................................... 85
Table 7-2: Summary of downtown building square footage (estimated) by use .......................... 88
Table 7-3: Current downtown parking demand by block ............................................................. 89
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study List of Figures
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 3-1: Downtown inventory area .......................................................................................... 20
Figure 3-2: Parking inventory data collection sheet ..................................................................... 21
Figure 3-3: Public parking distribution ......................................................................................... 25
Figure 4-1: Total parking stall inventory by block ....................................................................... 28
Figure 4-2: Public and private parking stall inventory by block .................................................. 30
Figure 4-3: Handicapped stall inventory by block ........................................................................ 31
Figure 4-4: Permit-required parking by block .............................................................................. 33
Figure 4-5: Public and private on-street and off-street parking stalls (total) by block ................. 34
Figure 4-6: Off-street public parking ............................................................................................ 36
Figure 4-7: Parking occupancy rates ............................................................................................. 37
Figure 4-8: Off-street public parking dwell times ........................................................................ 38
Figure 5-1: Block 1014 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates ......................................... 42
Figure 5-2: Block 1015 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates ......................................... 44
Figure 5-3: Block 1016 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates ......................................... 46
Figure 5-4: Block 1017 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates ......................................... 48
Figure 5-5: Block 1018 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates ......................................... 50
Figure 5-6: Block 1024 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates ......................................... 52
Figure 5-7: Block 1025 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates ......................................... 54
Figure 5-8: Block 1026 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates ......................................... 56
Figure 5-9: Block 1027 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates ......................................... 58
Figure 5-10: Block 1028 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates ....................................... 60
Figure 5-11: Southeast lot vehicle observations versus occupancy rates ..................................... 62
Figure 5-12: Northeast lot vehicle observations versus occupancy rates ..................................... 64
Figure 6-1: Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. northeast lot dwell time frequencies .................... 68
Figure 6-2: Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. northeast lot dwell time frequencies .................... 69
Figure 6-3: Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. southeast lot dwell time frequencies .................... 71
Figure 6-4: Mendenhall St. and Black Ave. southeast lot dwell time frequencies ....................... 72
Figure 6-5: Babcock St. and Rouse Ave. northwest lot dwell time frequencies .......................... 74
Figure 6-6: Tracy Ave. on-street dwell time frequencies ............................................................. 76
Figure 6-7: Main St. on-street dwell time frequencies ................................................................. 77
Figure 6-8: Downtown parking garage dwell time frequencies .................................................... 79
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Figure 6-9: Dwell time mean values ............................................................................................. 81
Figure 7-1: Parking surpluses and deficits by block ..................................................................... 90
Figure 7-2: General block dimensions .......................................................................................... 91
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Executive Summary
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Bozeman’s downtown district possesses a number of parking resources. These
include on-street parking, off-street parking lots, a parking garage, private (business) parking lots
and alley parking. The City previously did not have a clear picture of the inventory of these
resources; rather, only a general estimate of the number of available spaces existed. Additionally, turnover and occupancy rates for parking were unknown. While a general figure of 3,600 available parking spaces had been compiled by the City’s Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) Division, little was known about the distribution of parking resources in the
downtown area, their use, and parking use patterns. In light of these questions the City of
Bozeman’s Parking Commission and the Downtown Bozeman Partnership chose to pursue a parking study, the results of which are presented in this report. The study area examined in this report was bordered by Mendenhall St., 5th Ave., Babcock St. and Broadway Ave. on the north,
west, south and east sides, respectively.
Previous parking studies from comparable communities throughout the U.S. indicated that only
limited information related to recommended or expected occupancy rates or similar metrics were available. This came mainly in the form of an 85 percent rule employed in Oregon City, and Springfield, Oregon. The only other baseline metric identified was the criteria that at least 50
percent of available parking assets be controlled or owned by a community. This was viewed as
important in order to allow the community to manage parking in terms of allocation, changing
demand, pricing, and enforcement.
An inventory conducted in July, 2010 found that a total of 5,034 parking stalls were available in the downtown study area. This represented an average of 162 stalls per block, although some
blocks contained far more or less than this average. The majority of blocks had between 100 and
200 parking stalls of various types available. Publicly-owned stalls comprised approximately 48
percent of downtown parking inventory, while private stalls (i.e. business parking lots) comprised approximately 52 percent. This totaled to 2,426 public parking stalls and 2,608 private parking stalls in the downtown area. Maps that present this information were generated and are
presented below in Figures 1 and 2.
A total of 1,007 (20.1 percent) stalls were recorded as being unrestricted (all on-street). Off-
street privately owned stalls were available for patron use only. This private parking was comprised of 1,740 stalls, or approximately 35 percent of downtown parking. The breakdown of public parking restrictions is presented below in Figure 3. A total of 689 private off-street stalls
required a permit. Finally, 125 stalls, or 2.5 percent of all available downtown parking was
designated as handicapped accessible. GIS mapping was completed to graphically illustrate
downtown parking assets and trends.
When occupancy rates were examined, a similar trend was observed between all of the block groups, both on weekdays and weekends. Occupancy steadily increased throughout the morning
and reached the peak for the day during the noon hour. This coincided with the lunch hour when
downtown restaurants were heavily frequented. Following this midday peak, occupancy rates for
most blocks fell throughout the afternoon and evening hours.
Dwell time results indicated that vehicles remained parked for an average of between 38 minutes to 1 hour, based on the location examined. In general, the dwell times observed between on-
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Executive Summary
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street and off-street parking did not greatly differ. Overall, dwell time results indicated that most
vehicles parked as part of trips which were not necessarily brief in nature.
Results of the turnover rate analysis indicated that off-street parking facilities saw significantly
lower turnover; rates for these lots ranged from 0.32 to 0.68. For reference, parking ratios less than 1.0 indicated that the parking being analyzed was not being fully used, while ratios of 1.0 or
greater indicated that all stalls were being completely utilized each hour.. On-street parking
exhibited higher turnover, with rates that ranged from 0.90 to 1.18. The reason for these
differences was likely the result of the use of the parking itself. On-street stalls were more likely
to be used by motorists who made brief stops at an adjacent business and resulted in multiple vehicles using a given stall per hour. Off-street lots were more likely to be used by longer-term
parkers, with a space less likely to be filled immediately after a vehicle left.
Finally, parking demand calculations indicate there is ample parking in the downtown area,
based on current inventory (5,034 stalls). The results of present demand indicated that periphery
study area blocks had a surplus of parking, while some core blocks produced a deficit. However, it should be noted that the estimated parking demand for each block and land use may not have
occurred simultaneously. Consequently, estimated demand deficits (or surpluses) may not
necessarily exist in the patterns that were estimated. Overall however, the demand calculations
indicated the existence of a parking surplus which provides headroom for future downtown
growth.
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Executive Summary
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Figure 1: Total parking stall inventory by block
N
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Figure 2: Public and private parking stall inventory by block
N
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Figure 3: Public parking distribution
Restricted (as noted)
Unrestricted N
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Introduction
Western Transportation Institute Page 1
1. INTRODUCTION
The City of Bozeman’s downtown district possesses a number of parking resources. These
include on-street parking, off-street parking lots, a parking garage, private (business) parking lots
and alley parking. The city did not have a clear picture of the inventory of these resources;
rather, only a general estimate of the number of available spaces. Additionally, turnover and occupancy rates for available parking were unknown. While a general figure of 3,600 available parking spaces had been compiled by the City’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Division, there was little knowledge about the distribution of parking resources in the downtown
area, the use of these resources, and the patterns of parking use. Therefore, the City has relied
primarily on documents such as the Bozeman Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) (1
In 2009, the City of Bozeman and the Downtown Bozeman Partnership retained a team of
consultants to develop the Downtown Improvement Plan (
) in making decisions regarding issues such as redevelopment and parking needs.
2). This plan examined the issues
facing downtown Bozeman and provided a series of recommendations and next steps that should
be completed to guide development in the years to come. One of the next steps recommended by this plan was the completion of a parking inventory and use study for the downtown area. In part, such a recommendation was necessary based on the age of the previous parking studies, which
had been conducted during 1992 and 2000 (3, 4
Aside from the lack of concrete information regarding parking in downtown Bozeman and the
recommendation to complete an inventory and use study, the City has noted that other cities in the state have recently conducted parking studies. Specifically, studies have been conducted by Billings (
).
5) and Missoula (6
In light of the questions regarding the true number of parking spaces available in the downtown
district, as well as the lack of information related to parking adequacy and use patterns, the City
of Bozeman’s Parking Commission and the Downtown Bozeman Partnership have chosen to pursue a parking study to address these knowledge gaps. Such a study would inventory all available parking within the downtown area as well as examine aspects related to parking such as
dwell time, turnover, and occupancy rates. Additionally, the current state of the practice as
related to parking management in city centers and downtown areas is of interest to the
commission. In total, the collected information will provide the City with an accurate picture of the available parking in the downtown district, as well as how parking needs are met throughout the day.
). These studies have provided each community with a clearer
picture of their current parking resources, how existing parking is performing, and what future
parking needs might be. The pursuit of updated parking information by each of these cities
indicates to Bozeman officials that the need exists for similar information to be compiled locally. Certainly the growth that Bozeman has experienced in recent years parallels, if not exceeds that of Billings and Missoula, necessitating the collection of updated parking information.
The purpose of this document is to provide the Parking Commission and the Downtown
Bozeman Partnership the results of such a parking study. The tasks presented in this document
reflect those which discussions with Parking Commission members indicated were necessary and required. These results are intended to provide the City with answers to the questions of available parking inventory, turnover, and occupancy rates, as well as the state of the practice in managing
parking resources in downtown areas.
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Introduction
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1.1. Project Purpose
The 2009 Downtown Improvement Plan, which was adopted by the City of Bozeman with
Commission Resolution No. 4230 (January 2010), states:
“Parking plays a role in every aspect of downtown. Cooperative efforts should be
made to maintain the availability of convenient public parking for customers, employees, and visitors throughout the downtown district. The variety of public parking resources – on-street spaces, surface lots, and the Bridger Park Garage –
should be managed and maintained to provide a flexible assortment of parking
options for all downtown patrons.
The Bozeman Parking Commission, in coordination with the Downtown Bozeman Partnership, should conduct regular parking studies to determine and track the inventory of on-street, surface, and structured parking spaces in addition
to usage patterns and trends.”
To complete this Downtown Improvement Plan objective, the Bozeman Parking Commission
and the Downtown Bozeman Partnership collaborated to conduct a downtown parking study financed by Downtown Tax Increment funds. The purpose of the study was defined as:
“A comprehensive parking study would examine the existing and potential future
parking needs with the downtown district as well as address parking operations to
aid in optimizing the BPC parking system. The study would include a
comprehensive inventory of the on- and off-street parking (public and private), land use inventory, and turnover and occupancy analysis.”
1.2. Approach
A multi-faceted approach was employed in completing this work. Student data collectors from
Montana State University were employed to collect field data, including parking stall inventory,
as well as occupancy, turnover, and dwell time supporting data. These data elements were then
employed to conduct the various analyses presented in the different chapters of this report.
Analysis approaches included the generation of descriptive statistics, spreadsheet data analysis, development of illustrative tables and figures, and visual presentation or various results through
GIS mapping. Additionally, a local and national review of parking studies and parking
management documents was conducted to identify and summarize information that will be of
interest to the Parking Commission.
1.3. Report Outline
This report is divided into eight chapters. Chapter 1 has introduced the motivation for the project. Chapter 2 presents the state of the practice in parking management, while Chapter 3 presents the results of the downtown Bozeman parking inventory. Chapter 4 presents inventory
information in a visual format through GIS mapping. Chapter 5 presents the results of occupancy
rate analyses, while Chapter 6 presents dwell time and turnover results. Chapter 7 presents the
results of parking demand studies, while Chapter 8 presents the conclusions and recommendations of this project.
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Practices
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2. RECOMMENDED PARKING PRACTICES
Before examining downtown Bozeman’s parking inventory and characteristics, it will be helpful
to understand the “state of the practice” with regards to parking practice both locally (i.e.
Montana communities) and nationally. By synthesizing current practices, the Parking
Commission can better understand how other communities are managing their city center/downtown parking resources. This information could then be considered and applied in present and future decisions related to parking assets in downtown Bozeman. The following
sections summarize existing guidance and metrics employed in other communities with
downtowns of similar size and character to Bozeman, as well as guidance documents of
importance to practitioners. The information provided in the following sections was identified through a search of online tools such as the Transportation Research Information Service (TRIS), and Google. Recent results (2006 – present) were employed when looking at parking studies
from similar communities to ensure that the most recent trends were reported. Besides major
Montana towns and cities, communities with a population of approximately 50,0001
2.1. Current Bozeman Requirements
or less were
considered, as were smaller communities with a downtown character and function similar to Bozeman (i.e. tourist-based or university towns).
Before discussing parking studies completed elsewhere in Montana and recommended practice
in similar communities, it would be beneficial to present the current requirements for parking in
Bozeman. The guiding document for parking practices in Bozeman is the Bozeman Unified
Development Ordinance (UDO) (1). This document, specifically Chapter 18.46, provides
information on the number of required parking spaces to ensure provision of off-street motor vehicle parking, bicycle parking, and other transportation access facilities in rough proportion to
the generalized parking and transportation demands of different land uses (1). In addition to
discussing design aspects, the UDO provides specifies the number of parking spaces required for
different land uses.
Of specific interest to this project are the space requirements set forth regarding nonresidential land uses. Specifications of relevance to this project are presented in Table 2-1. The code notes
that depending on the location in the city, adjustment to parking requirements may be desired.
Examples of allowable reductions in requirements are presented in Table 2-2. Of note is that the
provision of parking spaces in excess of 125 percent of the minimum number of spaces required
for the net floor area is not permitted. Finally, the code notes that, within the B-3 zoning district where all or part of the required parking spaces cannot be provided for a proposed land use
through ownership or lease, an owner may satisfy the requirements through a cash-in-lieu
payment to the City Finance Department (1).
1 While Bozeman’s population is less than 40,000, the threshold of approximately 50,000 was employed to allow for
the studies of additional communities to be identified.
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Table 2-1: Current Bozeman parking space requirements (1)
Use Type Off-Street or Off-Road Parking Spaces Required
Automobile sales 1 space per 200 square feet of indoor floor area; plus 1 space per 20 outdoor vehicle display spaces
Automobile service and/or repair station 2 spaces per service stall, but no less than 4 spaces
Bank, financial institutions 1 space per 300 square feet of floor area
Bowling alley 2 spaces per alley; plus 2 spaces per billiard table
Church
1 space per six persons of maximum occupancy load
(as identified in the International Building Code) for main
assembly hall, public assembly areas and classrooms
Community or recreation
center 1 space per 200 square feet of floor area
Health and Exercise
Establishment
1 space per 200 square feet of floor area; plus
3 spaces per court
Day care centers
1 space per staff member plus 1 space per
15 children permitted
Furniture stores over
20,000 square feet 3 spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor area
Medical and dental offices
4 spaces for each full time equivalent doctor or
dentist; plus 1 space for each full time equivalent employee
Offices (except medical
and dental) 1 space per 250 square feet of floor area
Restaurants, cafes, bars
and similar uses
1 space per 50 square feet of indoor public serving
area; plus 1 space per 100 square feet of outdoor (patio) area
Retail store and service
establishments 1 space per 300 square feet of floor area
Schools Elementary and/or Junior High
1.5 spaces for each classroom, library, lecture hall and
cafeteria; plus 1 space for each 3 fixed seats in the area of
public assembly, or 1 space for each 25 square feet of area available for public assembly if fixed seats are not provided
Theater, Auditorium or similar 1 space per 4 seats based upon place of assembly design capacity
Warehousing, storage or
handling of bulk goods
1 space per 1,000 square feet of floor area devoted to storage
of goods; plus appropriate spaces to support accessory office or retail sales facilities at 1 space per 350 square feet of floor
area
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Table 2-2: Allowable reductions in parking space requirements (1)
Use Allowable Reduction
Retail 40 percent
Restaurant 50 percent
Office 20 percent
Transit proximity 10 percent
Parking structure
proximity 15 percent
All Others 30 percent
Residential 1 space per dwelling in zone
B-3 (rather than 1 space per
bedroom)
The allowable reductions are greatest in the study area, the B-3 zoning district. In addition to
establishing the overall required number of parking spaces for different land uses, the code also
establishes disabled accessible parking space requirements. These requirements are based on the total number of spaces in the lot, and are presented in Table 2-3. Accessible parking spaces count
towards satisfying City of Bozeman required number of parking stalls. As one would expect,
such spaces are to be designated as reserved by signage and pavement markings, with a space
width of at least 13 feet.
Table 2-3: Disabled parking space requirements (1)
Total
Parking in Lot
Required Minimum
Number of Accessible Spaces
Total
Parking in Lot Required Minimum Number of Accessible Spaces
1 to 25 1 201 to 300 7
26 to 50 2 301 to 400 8
51 to 75 3 401 to 500 9
76 to 100 4 501 to 1000 2 percent of total
101 to 150 5 1001 and over 20 plus 1 for each 100 over 1000
151 to 200 6
The code continues by discussing the joint use of parking facilities. Such parking would serve
two or more individual land uses without conflict or encroachment, provided that a traffic impact
study shows that adequate parking exists to meet the demand of potential uses (1). Finally, off-site parking is discussed, with the code indicating that such parking shall not be located more
than 1,000 feet from the entrance of the land use it serves.
2.2. Past Bozeman Parking Studies
The earliest information to the project team regarding downtown Bozeman’s parking inventory
came from the Bozeman Transportation Plan of 1981 (7). While the work supporting this
document did not include a comprehensive parking study, it did detail basic parking inventory
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Practices
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information. The study area was bordered by Lamme St., Olive St. Wallace Ave. and 5th Ave,
and contained a total of 3,987 parking stalls2
As part of the Bozeman Urban Transportation Plan 1993 Update, a parking inventory and
utilization study was conducted during the summer of 1992 (
. This document also broke the inventory down
further, examining the “Core” downtown area, bordered by Mendenhall St., Babcock St., Rouse
Ave. and 3rd Ave. This area contained a parking inventory of 1,087 parking spaces. Based on the limited information collected, only one recommendation was made regarding parking; this was to develop short-term parking in the downtown Core area.
3). The parking inventory was
completed for the downtown area bordered by Beall St., Church Ave., Curtiss St. and 5th Ave. This area included a total parking stall inventory of 5,030 spaces, with 3,024 spaces located off-street and 2,006 located on-street. The city-owned lots contained 276 spaces, while all off-street
lots in the area contained 2,748 spaces. On-street parking spaces consisted of 1,475 stalls with no
restrictions and 467 2-hour restricted stalls. The study area also contained 45 handicapped
accessible and 31 loading zone spaces.
The utilization study performed as part of the work examined four city-owned lots collectively, all off-street lots in the study area and all on-street spaces in the study area. Utilization in city-
owned lots during the daytime averaged 49 percent during July and 51 percent during
September. Utilization in city-owned lots during the evening averaged 34 percent during July
and 66 percent in September. Utilization in all off-street lots averaged 50 percent during the daytime and 25 percent during the evening. On-street parking utilization averaged 53 percent during the daytime and 33 percent during the evening.
Based on the parking inventory and utilization study results, the document presented a number of
short and long term recommendations, including:
• Short term
o Increase enforcement for on-street parking
o Restructure parking fines
o Revise on-street and city-owned lot signage
o Eliminate 2-hour restrictions in city-owned lots
o Relax or remove the 2-hour restriction for on-street parking in areas where supply
is lightly used
o Provide appropriate number of handicapped spaces in city-owned lots
o Restripe public lots to maximize spaces and encourage private owners to do the
same
o Use income from fines to maintain and improve public lots
o Install effective lighting in public lots
o Develop a map of downtown parking for public use
o Conduct a study to determine the amount of additional parking needed
• Long term
2 Note that the study area examined in this report was bordered by Mendenhall St., 5th Ave., Babcock St. and
Broadway Ave. on the north, west, south and east sides, respectively.
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Practices
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o Construct a parking structure
o Develop additional parking lots along the downtown fringe
The 2001, the Greater Bozeman Area Transportation Plan 2001 Update also contained parking
inventory and utilization information for the downtown area (4). Once again, this area was
bordered by Beall St., Church Ave., Curtiss St. and 5th Ave. This area included a total parking stall inventory of 5,053 spaces, with 3,022 spaces located off-street and 2,031 located on-street.
This represented a decrease of two off-street spaces and an increase of 25 on-street spaces from
the 1992 figures. City-owned lots contained 292 spaces, an increase of 16 spaces from 1992. On-
street parking spaces consisted of 1,500 stalls (an increase of 25 spaces) with no restrictions and
470 2-hour restricted stalls.
The utilization study performed as part of the work examined five city-owned lots collectively,
all off-street lots in the study area and all on-street spaces in the study area. Utilization in city-
owned lots during the daytime averaged 72 percent, while evening utilization averaged 55
percent. Utilization in all off-street lots averaged 60 percent during the daytime and 42 percent
during the evening. On-street parking utilization averaged 57 percent during the daytime and 47 percent during the evening. Unlike the 1992 plan, this document did not offer any
recommendations to address any existing parking issues in the downtown area.
Finally, while not part of an official study on the part of the City of Bozeman, additional work
was completed by an undergraduate researcher at the Western Transportation Institute in 2004
(8
2.3. Montana Studies and Practices
). This work consisted of a correlation study that examined parking generation and land use patterns in Bozeman, Billings and Great Falls. The work involved on-site interviews with
persons in parking areas to determine the number of places they had visited after parking. Of
interest to this project were the findings specific to downtown Bozeman. It was found that in
downtown Bozeman, parkers visited an average of 2.8 places (i.e. businesses, etc.).
In examining current practices related to managing parking, it is useful to consider what other communities in Montana are doing or have had recommended to them through parking studies. To this end, larger communities throughout Montana were contacted to determine whether they
had recently completed a parking study and what, if any parking management practices they
presently employed. These communities included Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, Helena, and
Kalispell, which represent larger cities with more complex parking assets and issues.
The City of Billings recently completed a downtown parking study in January, 2010 (5). This study consisted of a parking inventory, a turnover and occupancy analysis, and recommendation
of parking strategies to consider in the present and future. The study found that the downtown
area had adequate parking to meet present needs, although some parking shortages did occur in
specific areas during different times of day. Future downtown development was viewed as driving a need to consider additional parking.
Results of interest included the finding that peak occupancy rates in the study area ranged
between 64 and 66 percent, on average. These peaks occurred during the noon hour on two
collection dates. Some areas of the downtown core had occupancies exceeding 90 percent during
this period. Downtown parking structures were found to have rates ranging between 73 and 80 percent. An analysis of demand found that there was an overall parking stall surplus in the
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Practices
Western Transportation Institute Page 8
downtown area, although some individual blocks had parking deficits during various times of the
day.
To address present and future parking concerns, a number of parking management strategies
were recommended to the City of Billings. Recommended strategies included:
• Anti-shuffling ordinances to prevent parkers from evading hourly restrictions by
continually changing stalls throughout the day3
• Addition of parking meters in areas of high demand.
.
• Handheld enforcement technologies3.
• Transportation alternatives to reduce downtown parking, such as park and ride programs,
bike racks on busses3, etc.
• Improved parking signage to alert motorists to the location of facilities3.
• Residential permits to prevent overflow parking in residential areas3.
• Revised parking pricing, raising currently low prices in high-demand areas to encourage
use of off-street, long-term parking facilities.
• New parking assets to meet future growth needs4
All of these strategies were identified to address current and anticipated problems through
parking management approaches. Some require no or low cost (ex. ordinances), while others require significant investment (new parking). While the parking study does not identify any
specific parking management “best practices” employed by the City of Billings, it does indicate
one best practice employed nationally is to have at least 50 percent of available public parking be
occupied throughout the day (
.
5).
As part of its greater downtown master plan, Missoula completed a parking inventory, occupancy analysis and evaluation of overall parking supply and demand (6) in 2008. The
inventory concluded that present parking facilities were adequate to meet current needs. The
occupancy analysis found that peak occupancy for all parking in the downtown area occurred at
noon, with a rate of 66 percent. Off-street parking occupancy peaked at 2:00 p.m. with a rate of
63 percent occupancy, while on-street parking had a peak occupancy rate of 71 percent at noon. The majority of study blocks had a parking stall surplus during their peak periods, although some
blocks did experience small deficits. Finally, a parking turnover analysis found that parking
durations ranged between 30 minutes and 9 hours, with an average duration of 1 hour and 28
minutes. The overall turnover rate was 5.45 vehicles per stall over the course of an 85
While the Missoula study does not identify any parking management best practices that are or
could be employed per se, it does present a series of strengths, weaknesses and opportunities that
are of interest. These include:
hour study
period.
3 Presently employed in Bozeman.
4 The parking structure was constructed to meet anticipated 2015 demand.
5 The report does not indicate how a vehicle duration of 9 hours was measured in the observed range during an 8
hour study period.
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Western Transportation Institute Page 9
• Strengths
o Strategically placed parking assets6
o Direct control of the parking system by the Missoula Parking Commission
6.
o Vertically integrated parking management responsibilities.
o Well maintained facilities6.
o Clear presentation of operating hours/restrictions6.
o The historic recognition of the need for parking planning studies6.
• Weaknesses
o Lack of web-based parking information6.
o A lack of parking system guiding principles to direct management and policy
development.
o Public perception of downtown parking availability is erroneous6.
• Opportunities
o Safety enhancements could be made to parking assets (structures) as needed.
o Assess new technologies as they become available.
o Explore customer service and parking amenity programs.
o Expand customer feedback avenues.
o Employ varying parking rates based on location.
o Develop criteria and design guidelines for future parking structures.
These topics do not represent best practices, but they do provide an indication of different
aspects of parking management that could be taken into consideration not only in Missoula, but
in other communities as well.
Personal contacts made with the cities of Great Falls, Helena, and Kalispell indicated that no formal downtown parking studies/inventories had been performed in recent years. Interestingly, it was found during the course of this review that the City of Great Falls does not manage the
parking facilities that it owns. Rather, the enforcement (and collection of tickets) and
management of downtown public parking facilities is conducted by the Standard Parking
Corporation. This approach was unique among the Montana cities examined by this work. Standard Parking has periodically evaluated operations of the parking resources it manages for the city, but this has not consisted of any in-depth study.
2.4. National Studies and Practices
In addition to parking studies completed in and management practices of Montana, the same
information from other communities throughout the United States was also of interest. Of course,
it is not possible to review and summarize parking studies and management practices from the
large population of available communities throughout the country. Rather, the approach employed for this work was to identify recent studies (2006-present) completed by communities
of similar size and nature to Bozeman which had made their parking studies available online. As
one might expect, there is not a great deal of information available in terms of completed or
6 Characteristic of Bozeman.
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Western Transportation Institute Page 10
published parking studies for communities the size of Bozeman. The communities that were
identified and whose reports were obtained are presented in the following paragraphs.
The community of Atascadero, California, (population 28,000) completed a parking study in
2006 (9
• Improve signage.
). As part of that work, a series of recommended practices were identified, including:
• Work with local businesses to provide long term parking for employees as needed.
• Utilize existing parking assets before adding to supply.
• Conduct a downtown land use survey to aid in parking planning.
While this list is not comprehensive, it does provide solutions to problems and challenges faced
by many communities.
The city of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, (population 51,000) completed a downtown parking study in
2009 (10
• Formation of a parking advisory committee to assist in guiding parking policy.
). As part of the study, several parking management strategies were identified,
including:
• Increased pricing (when applicable) in high parking demand locations.
• Meter on-street parking to place a premium on such assets.
• Limit on-street parking duration to two hours maximum.
• Work with employers to encourage employees to park further from a business, leaving
closer parking stalls open for customers.
While some of these strategies may seem intuitive, they are often overlooked for various reasons.
However, each of them represents an aspect related to parking management that should be revisited over time or as conditions change.
The city of Meadville, Pennsylvania, (population 14,000), although much smaller than Bozeman,
possesses similar traits, particularly a compact downtown core with a variety of land uses and
parking assets. As part of a 2008 parking study, a number of current and recommended parking
management practices were documented, including:
• Contract monthly parking permits to assign parking stalls.
• Maintain facilities using public works staff.
• Avoid setting parking fines that are only slightly higher than the cost of one day’s
parking.
• Market exiting parking supply (11
The assignment of parking fines is perhaps the most important recommendation from this report.
If a fine is set too low, a motorist may be more likely to violate existing restrictions, as only a
minimal cost will be incurred compared to any applicable rate.
).
Menlo Park, California, (population 30,000) completed a parking study in 2010. While current or recommended parking management practices were not explicitly discussed, the report did offer one insight of interest. Based on existing parking conditions, the report indicated that it would be
beneficial to analyze existing time restrictions placed on stalls to determine whether alternatives
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Western Transportation Institute Page 11
might increase use and effectiveness of a particular parking asset (12
Oregon City, Oregon, (population 32,000) completed a downtown parking study in 2009. As a result of this work, several parking management strategies were recommended, including:
). This is an interesting
concept, as time restrictions placed on parking stalls may not necessarily be revisited with any
regularity, if ever, once initially assigned.
• Adopt the 85 percent rule for parking utilization, which recognizes that when parking
occupancy exceeds 85 percent capacity, parking supply becomes constrained.
• Adopt parking rate ranges based on location and demand.
• Reduce or eliminate 15 minute, 30 minute, 4 hour and 8 hour parking restrictions,
replacing them with 2 hour restrictions.
• Reevaluate permit pricing based on existing occupancies.
• Develop uniform signage.
• Develop incentives for private development of publically available parking.
• Monitor parking utilization frequently (13
Most noteworthy of these strategies is the 85 percent rule, as it indicates a threshold that should
be considered when examining the occupancy of parking areas.
).
Springfield, Oregon, (population 58,000) developed a number of strategies as part of its downtown parking study (14
• Develop criteria for decision making in establishment of loading zones and 15, 30, 60,
90-minute and No-Limit stalls.
). These included:
• Adopt the 85 percent rule to direct parking management strategies.
• Develop a residential parking permit zone policy in residential areas affected by spillover
from commercial parking.
• Negotiate shared use and/or lease agreements with owners of strategically placed existing
private surface lots.
• Develop incentives for private development of publically available parking.
• Acquire strategically located land parcel(s) for use as future public off-street parking in
the downtown.
• Define the priority purpose/use for parking in each parking zone or area.
Once again, note the use of the 85 percent rule, as well as the definition of parking uses and
priorities for a given area.
Redmond, Washington, (population 46,000) conducted a downtown parking study in 2008 (15
• Strategically locate 2 hour or by permit zones.
).
As a result of this study, several parking management strategies were identified for
implementation, including:
• Implement an employee permit program.
• Improve signage and communications.
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Practices
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• Establish a decision-making point that indicates a review of the parking system is
undertaken.
Note that the final point ties in with the establishment of the 85 percent rule identified in
previous studies. This decision-making criterion would alert parking management to the need to review the current status of parking performance and determine if changes are required.
Valparaiso, Indiana (population 28,000), home of Valparaiso University, completed a downtown
parking study in 2010 (16
• Encourage turnover through increased enforcement.
). This work included the development of a parking management plan,
with strategies of interest including:
• Implement warning tickets for first time offender or out of town visitors.
• Promote parking options.
The implementation of warning tickets for out of town visitors is an aspect of parking
management that might be of interest in a high tourism area. Of course, the converse to this type of approach is that word about this program might spread, with motorists intentionally violating parking restrictions because they know they will only receive a warning.
The Village of Westmont, Illinois, (population 25,000) completed a downtown parking study in
2008 (17
• Community control over at least 50 percent of available parking assets.
). As part of this work, several parking management strategies were identified for
consideration, including:
• Develop a shared use parking policy to serve adjacent buildings during different times of
day.
• Route enforcement officers such that they complete a full circuit of downtown every two
hours.
• Minimize surface lots between buildings.
• Improve signage.
• Employ marketing strategies when changes to the parking system occur.
While many of these strategies reflect those of previously discussed studies, the shared use policy has not yet been touched upon. Such a policy might be beneficial in cases where two
adjacent businesses experience different customer traffic peaks and limited parking is available.
2.5. Guidance Documents
A number of documents provide guidance related to parking rates for different land uses, parking
management strategies, and other information of interest. This guidance has been developed by
the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), the Transportation Research Board (TRB), the American Planning Association (APA) and other entities. The following sections discuss these documents and the guidance they provide.
The foremost guidance document identified and employed by this work is ITE’s Parking
Generation guide (18). This guide provides parking data, including ratios, for a variety of
building and land uses based on characteristics associated with the use (namely building square footages, number of employees, number of attendees, etc.) that can be used in estimating parking demand. In general, parking demand ratios have been developed for a variety of classifications,
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Practices
Western Transportation Institute Page 13
including transportation terminals, industrial, residential, lodging, recreational, institutional,
medical, office, retail and services, with ratios presented for specific types of uses under each of
these categories. While this document provides information related to parking demand, it does
not discuss other aspects of parking such as management practices and so forth. The contents of this document are employed in later portions of this work to determine current and future peak
period parking demand on each block in downtown Bozeman. The specific rates employed from
this reference are presented in Chapter 7.
In addition to Parking Generation, ITE also provides guidance and information through
supplementary documents. The first such document is the Transportation Planning Handbook (19
• General offices – 3.55/1000 ft2
). Of interest to this project, the document discusses parking demand and generation rates, as well as parking management strategies. It is stressed that parking is a function of land use, with
the primary input factor being square footage. The use of number of employees to determine
parking needs should be avoided, as this factor tends to be variable over time. Based on the
square footage input, this document provides parking generation rates for a number of different land uses, including the following which may be pertinent to this work:
• Church – 0.68/attendee
• Light industry – 2.87/1000 ft2
• Family restaurant – 12.26/1000 ft2
• General commercial – 3.3/1000 ft2
• Bank – 6.02/1000 ft2
These rates are provided for reference and comparison purposes; more recent ITE parking
generation rates have been developed, resulting in differences between those presented here and
those employed during later analysis in Chapter 7. Of importance to the downtown Bozeman
study conducted here is the absence of a mixed use generation rate by this reference, as well as public use areas, such as parks and libraries. Note that the publication date for this document was
1999, and these rates should be considered for reference purposes only, as they are likely to have
changed over the following 11 years.
The Transportation Planning Handbook continues by providing parking management strategies
broken down by categories. These included pricing, on-street supply, enforcement, off-street supply and marketing. A sampling of the recommended management practices related to these
includes:
• Pricing o Rate increases and decreases o Differential rates
o Subsidies
o Discount programs
• On-street supply o Change mix of long and short term parking o Permit programs
o Regulations
• Enforcement o Ticketing and fines
• Off-street supply
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o Zoning requirements
o Constrain supply
o Restrictions o Preferential parking o Change mix of long and short term parking
• Marketing
o Advertising o Convenience programs (19)
The second supplemental reference document from ITE is the traffic Engineering Handbook (20
The Eno Foundation for Transportation has published a book entitled Parking which discusses parking policy, land use issues and development (
). This document discusses primarily design elements in parking (dimensions, location, etc.)
and does not provide guidance on parking generation rates or management strategies. However,
it is a useful reference when considering the different physical factors that contribute to the
provision of parking.
21
𝐷= 𝑁𝐾𝑅𝑃∗𝑝𝑟𝑂
). This reference, although dated, presents a
detailed model for predicting peak parking needs. The model predicts peak parking demand as:
Where:
D = parking demand (stalls)
N = size of activity measured in appropriate units (square feet, attendees, etc.)
K = proportion of destinations that occur at any one time R = person destinations per day per unit of activity
P = proportion of people arriving by car
O = average vehicle occupancy
pr = proportion of persons with primary destination at the designated study
location
While the equation and process to determine parking demand is data intensive, it may be of
interest in specific scenarios where a new development is planned and space for parking is at a
premium. In such a case, a more accurate estimate such as that generated via this model may be
required as opposed to the rough figures generated by other approaches.
Intended for use by communities with populations below 50,000, The Parking Handbook for Small Communities provides information on planning, developing and managing downtown
parking (22
• Parking restrictions
). This document lays out the steps to collect and analyze current and future parking
conditions, including the creation of parking models. It also provides a discussion on how the
effectiveness of existing parking may be increased (a corollary to parking management best
practices). The approaches to increase effectiveness include:
• Enforcement
• Metering
• Rates, fees and fines
• Public support for enforcement
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Western Transportation Institute Page 15
• Better utilization of off-street parking
As part of the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), the Transportation Research
Board has published a document titled Parking Management and Supply: Traveler Response to Transportation System Changes (23
• Minimum or maximum parking requirements for developers.
). This document discusses how travelers respond to differences in the supply and availability of vehicle parking, and, of interest to this project,
provides information on different types of parking management strategies. Among the parking
management strategies identified were:
• Employer/institutional parking management by owners.
• Residential parking management to restrict non-resident parking.
• On-street commercial area management, including time restrictions.
• Peripheral parking, which seeks to move parking from the downtown core to its edges.
• Park and ride, providing outlying parking areas.
While the focus of this document was on mid and large sized urban areas, many of the findings
with respect to changes made in these management strategies are easily transferable to a small
community setting.
The American Planning Association has published a document titled Parking Management Best Practices, which summarizes a number of different strategies that may be employed in managing
parking assets (24
• Shared parking
). Among the strategies identified that are relevant to this project were:
• Regulated parking
• Establish more accurate and flexible standards
• Implement smart growth policies
• Improve pricing methods
• Provide financial incentives
• Improve user information and marketing
• Improve enforcement and control
• Address spillover problems
While many of these strategies have already been identified by previous documents, this list does contain new additions, such as addressing spillover problems. The inclusion of such items
broadens the sphere of strategies that may be considered when making future decisions. Note
that this information has also been compiled by the same author and presented in a report by the
Victoria Transport Policy Institute (British Colombia), titled Parking Management: Strategies, Evaluation and Planning (25
One final reference of interest comes from the Oregon Department of Transportation, which led
an effort to develop a parking management document titled Parking Management Made Easy
(
). Note that neither document provides guidance on parking rates.
26). This document lays out the process for Oregon communities on how they can identify
whether they have a parking problem (parking inventory and occupancy study). Included in this
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Western Transportation Institute Page 16
discussion is the specification of a 90 percent rule for parking utilization, which recognizes that
when parking inventory exceeds 90 percent capacity, parking supply becomes constrained.
Interestingly, this criterion differs from that (the 85 percent rule) employed in recent Oregon
community parking studies discussed previously. One can assume that the use of an 85 percent threshold was based on conservative practice.
2.6. Chapter Summary
This chapter has summarized information pertaining to parking studies completed in Montana
cities, parking studies completed in communities nationally comparable to Bozeman (with an
focus on any guidelines or management practices employed or recommended) and existing
parking management guidance documents (with a focus on parking generation rates and
management practices). Locally, recent Montana parking studies provided some insight into management practices that have been recommended as the result of studies. Aside from this
information, the individual findings provide some comparison points when examining the results
of the Bozeman parking study, namely occupancy rates.
In examining the reports of previous parking studies throughout the U.S., it was noted that only
limited information related to recommended or expected occupancy rates or similar metrics were provided. This came mainly in the form of the 85 percent rule cited in the Oregon City, and
Springfield, Oregon, reports (13, 14). The only other baseline metric identified by the parking
studies was the criteria that at least 50 percent of available parking assets be controlled or owned
by a community (17). This was viewed as important in order to allow the community to manage
parking in terms of allocation, changing demand, pricing, and enforcement. Studies from throughout the U.S. did provide a number of different parking management practices that should
be considered. Among the practices identified were:
• Improve signage.
• Work with local businesses to provide long term parking for employees as needed.
• Utilize existing parking assets before adding to supply.
• Formation of a parking advisory committee to assist in guiding parking policy.
• Work with employers to encourage employees to park further from a business, leaving
closer parking stalls open for customers.
• Avoid setting parking fines that are only slightly higher than the cost of one day’s
parking.
• Market exiting parking supply.
• Adopt parking rate ranges based on location and demand.
• Develop incentives for private development of publically available parking.
• Develop a residential parking permit zone policy in residential areas affected by spillover
from commercial parking.
• Negotiate shared use and/or lease agreements with owners of strategically placed existing
private surface lots.
• Define the priority purpose/use for parking in each parking zone or area.
• Establish a decision-making point that indicates a review of the parking system is
undertaken.
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• Implement warning tickets for first time offender or out of town visitors.
• Employ marketing strategies when changes to the parking system occur.
In reviewing guidance documents for information on parking generation rates and management strategies, the ITE Parking Generation manual provided a number of recommended rates for various types of land uses. Other reference material provided baseline guidance regarding
occupancy/utilization, recommending that a 90 percent rule be employed for parking utilization,
differing slightly from the 85 percent rule identified previously. Note that this guidance, as well
as that provided by individual communities, did not differentiate between land uses; rather, one threshold was indicated for all available parking. Finally, the materials reviewed identified a number of parking management practices which matched those identified by local parking
studies.
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Parking Inventory
Western Transportation Institute Page 18
3. PARKING INVENTORY
The foremost rationale for this project was that a comprehensive inventory of downtown
Bozeman’s parking resources did not exist. While the Parking Commission did have an
inventory of city-owned parking facilities, the number, ownership and restrictions of other
downtown parking resources were unknown. Consequently, the first task during this project was the completion of such an inventory. The inventory itself was completed for the entire area encompassed by the downtown Tax Increment Finance District (TIF). This area is presented in
Figure 3-1 and encompasses the areas inside the yellow and black border. The study area
examined in this report was bordered by Mendenhall St., 5th Ave., Babcock St. and Broadway
Ave. on the north, west, south and east sides, respectively. The area for this study included City of Bozeman GIS Blocks 1005 through 1032 and 1036 through 1038.
3.1. Methodology
The methodology employed in inventorying downtown parking assets was basic. A student data
collector walked each downtown block in the study area and recorded the various parking assets
observed by their different characteristics on a data collection sheet (displayed in Figure 3-2). A
parking stall was defined as being represented by pavement markings; in cases where such
markings were not present, the data collector identified a stall as consisting of a space approximately every 20 feet. Upon completion of the inventory, the information recorded on the
data sheets was transferred to an Excel spreadsheet for further analysis and classification.
Data collection occurred on July 27, 28, and 29, 2010 (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday).
Data was collected for a total of 31 downtown block groups. No difficulties were encountered
during the course of data collection, with all areas being accessible to the student performing the collection. The field inventory data collected included:
• Number of spaces
• Type of parking (on-street, off-street)
• Ownership of parking (public, private)
• Fees for parking (free, pay, permit)
• Access point/side of street – collected for internal identification and reference purposes
• Restrictions (handicapped, time, loading zone)
The following sections provide a summary of the inventory and a breakdown of the various parking assets that are present in downtown Bozeman based on the data collected.
3.2. Overview of Parking Assets
Table 3-1 presents a summary of all parking assets recorded in downtown Bozeman. As the table
indicates, a total of 5,034 parking stalls were available in the downtown study area. This presents
an average of 162 stalls per block, although some blocks contain far more or less than this
average. The majority of blocks had between 100 and 200 parking stalls of various types available. The exceptions to this were Block 1010 (203 stalls, mainly private business lot), Block 1012 (271 stalls, mainly private business and on-street parking), Block 1016 (479 stalls,
including the city parking garage), Block 1028 (216 stalls, including business parking and a city
lot) and Block 1031 (304 stalls, including the library). While the overall downtown parking
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Parking Inventory
Western Transportation Institute Page 19
inventory figure is of interest, it does not present the full picture of the different types of parking
assets that are available. Consequently, the following sections will provide discussion and detail
related to the different parking assets identified during the course of the parking inventory study.
It is important to keep in mind when examining the parking inventory and distribution of assets by block, that the location of a parking stall is important. An available parking space on the edge
of the downtown area may remain available because of its location, while a parking space closer
to the downtown core is more valuable and in higher demand. This reflects the tendency of
motorists to park in a location which is closest to their trip destination. Consequently, as most
downtown businesses are centrally located, the parking assets on the fringe of the downtown area may see lower use than those at its core.
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Figure 3-1: Downtown inventory area, image courtesy of City of Bozeman Geographical Information Systems Department
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Parking Inventory
Western Transportation Institute Page 21
Figure 3-2: Parking inventory data collection sheet
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Parking Inventory
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Table 3-1: Overall inventory of downtown Bozeman parking assets
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3.3. Public and Private Parking Assets
Table 3-2 presents summary statistics for the publicly and privately owned parking assets in the
downtown area. As shown, public stalls comprise approximately 48 percent of downtown
parking inventory, while private stalls (i.e. business parking lots) comprise approximately 52
percent. The majority of public parking is on-street, comprising 1,667 stalls or approximately 33 percent of all available downtown stalls (5,034). Off-street public parking stalls (742) consisted primarily of the downtown parking garage, as well as four surface lots throughout the area.
Interestingly, 17 stalls were observed to be publically owned alley and/or loading zones.
As one would expect, no private on-street parking stalls were observed. Off-street stalls
consisted almost entirely of business parking lots (approximately 49 percent of all downtown stalls recorded), with 2,491 stalls recorded. Note that this parking is only available to patrons of the business that provides it. A lesser number of stalls (117) were recorded as private alley
and/or loading zones (approximately 2 percent of all downtown inventory). All of these observed
characteristics were expected.
Table 3-2: Public and Private parking assets
Public Private
On-Street (1667 stalls)1667 stalls (33.1%)0 stalls (0.0%)
Off-Street (3233 stalls)742 stalls (14.7%)2491 stalls (49.3%)
Other (alley/loading zone) (134 stalls)17 stalls (0.3%)117 stalls (2.3%)
Total 2426 stalls (48.4%)2608 stalls (51.6%)
3.4. Parking Restrictions
Table 3-3 presents a summary of public and private parking restrictions. Note that public parking
is comprised of both on- and off-street parking, while private parking consists solely of off-street stalls. All public parking stalls inventoried by this work were free when within the posted time restriction, while a portion of private parking stalls required a permit (689 stalls). A
determination of whether such permits required payment or were distributed free to business
employees by their employer was beyond the scope of this work. The percentages displayed are
related to the total downtown parking stalls inventoried (5,034). Also, the reader should note that the total stalls presented in the table do not total to the number of inventoried downtown stalls. Rather, 3,143 stalls are identified in this table, comprising 62 percent of all parking spaces
inventoried. The reason for this discrepancy is that the 1,740 private parking lot stalls identified
by the inventory, while not having a time limit restriction, were intended for patron use only.
Additionally, 151 alley/loading zone parking stalls were excluded from this characterization for conciseness.
As the table indicates, 1,007 stalls (20.1 percent) of downtown parking were identified as being
unrestricted. An additional 1,740 business parking stalls were identified as free of cost and time
restraints, but they were intended for customers only. Consequently, these stalls are in fact
restricted to some extent.
Only public on-street parking was subject to a 15 minute restriction, although this applied to only 18 stalls. As a portion of all downtown parking stalls available, this restriction applied to an
insignificant portion of the population. The same is true of the half-hour time restriction for
Downtown Bozeman Parking Study Parking Inventory
Western Transportation Institute Page 24
public on-street parking, which applied to only 5 stalls. The 2-hour time restriction for public on-
street parking only applied to 610 stalls, or approximately 37percent of the total 1,667 public on-
street spaces available downtown.
Off-street public parking only had 2-hour time restrictions in place. The parking structure comprised the majority of stalls in this group (425, excluding handicapped stalls). As a whole,
off-street public parking with a 2-hour restriction comprised 604 available stalls, or
approximately 12 percent of the 5,034 inventoried downtown parking stalls.
Private parking with a 1-hour time restriction totaled 58 off-street s, while 27 stalls had a 2-hour
time restriction. Each of these categories represents an insignificant total of all available downtown parking available. A total of 689 private off-street stalls required a permit. In essence,
these stalls were not available for general public parking. This totaled approximately 13.5
percent of all downtown parking inventory, which, while not a large figure, still represents a
somewhat significant proportion of available parking.
Finally, Table 3-3 summarizes the total inventory of handicapped parking stalls available downtown. A total of 125 stalls or 2.5 percent of all available downtown parking is designated
handicapped. The majority of this parking is free of time restrictions, although some stalls did
have a 1- or 2-hour time limit. Approximately 36 percent of all handicapped stalls were public
(45 stalls), while the remaining 64 percent (80 stalls) were provided in private lots.
Table 3-3: Summary of Parking Restrictions
Figure 3-3 further illustrates the distribution of public parking facilities (on- and off-street) in the downtown study area. Narrow borders around the block correspond to on-street parking (with the
quantities of parking under each restriction noted). Off-street public parking is illustrated by the
solid shapes inside the respective blocks that possess such facilities. Off-street parking includes
all surface lots and the parking garage. Note the distribution of parking restrictions (primarily 2-
hour restrictions) centered about the downtown core. These restrictions apply to both on- and off-street parking (excluding off-street parking contract permit holders). The only exception of
off-street parking that was not restricted7
was the library lot, located in block 1031.
7 In one sense, the library lot is unrestricted in that it does not have a time limit imposed on parkers. In a different
sense, parking is restricted to library patrons only. Given the location of the library in proximity to Lindley Park, it is possible that some motorists are using the lot when visiting the park. As the restrictions referred to in this document pertain to time limitations and permit requirements (both of which are absent in the case of the library), this parking
lot has been classified as “unrestricted”.
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Figure 3-3: Public parking distribution
Restricted (as noted)
Unrestricted N
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3.5. Chapter Summary
This chapter has discussed the collection and characterization of downtown parking stall
inventory data. Data collection occurred on July 27, 28, and 29, 2010, for a total of 31 downtown
block groups. A data collector walked each downtown block in the study area and recorded the
various parking assets observed by their different characteristics on a data collection sheet. Characteristics recorded included number of spaces, type of parking (on-street, off-street), ownership, fees and restrictions.
The inventory found that a total of 5,034 parking stalls were available in the downtown study
area. This represents an average of 162 stalls per block, although some blocks contain far more
or less than this average. The majority of blocks had between 100 and 200 parking stalls of various types available. Publicly-owned stalls comprised approximately 48 percent of downtown parking inventory, while private stalls (i.e. business parking lots) comprised approximately 52
percent. This totaled to 2,426 public parking stalls and 2,608 private parking stalls in the
downtown area.
In examining parking restrictions, 1,007 stalls (20.1 percent) of downtown parking were unrestricted. Private parking for businesses comprised of 1,740 stalls (including those for patron use only), or approximately 35 percent of downtown parking. A total of 689 private off-street
stalls were recorded as requiring a permit. Finally, a total of 125 stalls or 2.5 percent of all
available downtown parking is designated handicapped.
While the city controls less than 50 percent of all available downtown parking, this should not be considered problematic. As the results of the occupancy rate studies presented in a later chapter illustrate, at no time were all downtown parking assets close to capacity. As a result, there
appears to be ample capacity to absorb any increases in parking need/demand in the immediate
future.
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4. GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS MAPPING
One useful approach to understanding the parking inventory data collected is through mapping.
The development of various maps allows for an understanding of the distribution and location of
various types of parking assets through downtown Bozeman. This includes the total number of
stalls per block, the breakdown of public versus private ownership, restrictions, and so forth.
To accomplish the mapping portion of this work, GIS were employed. GIS is a mapping tool which allows for the presentation of various map-based information. For this work, ArcView
GIS was used in developing the maps presented in the following sections.
In addition to mapping the various features associated with downtown parking, shapefiles were
created for future use and analysis by city personnel. Shapefiles are shape-based features (lines, points, polygons) which represent a physical feature. In this work, existing shapefiles generated by the City of Bozeman’s GIS Office, specifically block groups, were used as the base shapefile,
with parking inventory added to the file based on the characteristics recorded in the field.
4.1. Total Stalls
The first map generated by this portion of the work was a representation of the total parking
inventory on each block. Figure 4-1 presents the total number of spaces identified by the field
inventory on each block, with the block number presented at the top of each block in bold and the total available parking stalls listed toward its center. Note that in general, each block
possesses a fairly high number of stalls, with only three blocks containing (slightly) less than 100
stalls.
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Figure 4-1: Total parking stall inventory by block
N
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4.2. Public and Private Ownership by Block
The map presented in Figure 4-2 presents the distribution of publicly and privately owned
parking stalls in the study area. Of interest is that all blocks contain at least some stalls from each
ownership group. No discernable trends have been observed regarding the distribution of public
versus private ownership by block (ex., higher public ownership in the center of the study area versus private at the periphery).
4.3. Handicapped Parking by Block
The map presented in Figure 4-3 presents the distribution of accessible stalls provided
throughout the study area. Note that no distinction has been made regarding public and private
ownership, as all accessible stalls recorded in the inventory were unrestricted in terms of public
use (aside for a limited number of stalls having a time restriction). As the figure indicates, all
blocks, with the exception of 1008 and 1022, contain at least a minimum of one accessible stall. Block 1008 contains the former Kenyon Noble property, as well as other assorted businesses
(ex., auto repair), so it is not entirely out of place that the block contains no accessible stalls. This
block also contains a large number of stalls requiring parking permits, as will be seen in the
following section. Block 1022 is home to Willson School, so it is a bit more surprising that this
block has no accessible parking. However, the data collector noted no pavement markings or signage to indicate that accessible parking was present on this block.
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Figure 4-2: Public and private parking stall inventory by block
N
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Figure 4-3: Handicapped stall inventory by block
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4.4. Permit Parking by Block
As the inventory noted, several parking locations throughout the downtown study area required
permits. In some cases, these permits were required for longer-duration (2+ hours) parking in
city-owned lots. In other cases, permits were required by businesses to restrict parking to
employees only. The distribution of permit-required stalls is presented in Figure 4-5. Block 1008, which as discussed previously had no accessible stalls, contained the second largest number of permit stalls in the study area. The largest number of permit stalls observed was 148 in Block
1021. This block contains several private businesses, which explains this high figure.
4.5. On-Street and Off-Street Parking
Being a downtown area, the blocks examined in this study contain a significant proportion of on-
street parking. Of course, off-street parking was also available in large numbers, as discussed
previously. The distribution of on-street and off-street parking by block is presented in Figure 4-5. Interestingly, all of the blocks of the downtown area contain at least a minimum of on-street
parking stalls. All such stalls are free to the public and generally are unrestricted.
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Figure 4-4: Permit-required parking by block
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Figure 4-5: Public and private on-street and off-street parking stalls (total) by block
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4.6. City-Owned Parking Lots
As part of the overall inventory, the individual parking assets owned by the city are of interest,
namely off-street parking lots. Figure 4-6 illustrates the location of downtown city-owned lots as
well as the total inventory of those lots, broken down by standard and accessible stalls. A total of
622 off-street stalls are maintained by the city and presented in this figure. This represents a significant quantity of parking near the center of the downtown area.
4.7. Occupancy Rates by Block
While discussed later in Chapter 5, the visual presentation of occupancy rates observed
throughout the downtown area is also of interest. Occupancy rates measure the level of
utilization of a parking area for a specific period of time. Figure 4-7 presents the peak occupancy
rates observed on both a weekday (Wednesday, August 11, 2010) and weekend (Saturday,
September 11, 2010) for ten block groups in the downtown area. These groups were selected by the Parking Commission as being of the greatest interest. As the figure indicates, weekday
observations of peak occupancy generally were above 50 percent and exceeded 80 percent in
some cases. This indicates that when the highest observed use during the data collection period
occurred, over half of the total available stalls on a block were occupied. As one would expect,
weekend occupancy peaks were generally lower than those observed on the weekday. Of course, the exception to this was the occupancy rates of blocks 1025 and 1028. These occupancies were
likely higher on weekends for these blocks because of the proximity of parking to downtown
attractions. Note that the peak occupancy rates presented only represent the highest observed
peak. It is possible that higher occupancies occurred during another time period throughout the
day when data collection activities were not taking place.
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Figure 4-6: Off-street public parking
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Figure 4-7: Parking occupancy rates
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4.8. Dwell Times by Block
Although discussed in detail in Chapter 6, a map of observed dwell times in city-owned lots
(excluding the parking garage) and two segments of on-street parking was of interest. As Figure
4-8 illustrates, the lots of interest were those in the northeast and southeast corners of the
Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. intersection, the “Carnegie” lot, located at the corner of Mendenhall St. and Black Ave, the “Rouse” lot located at the corner of Babcock St. and Rouse Ave., on-street parking on the north side of Main St. between Willson Ave. and Black Ave., and
on-street parking on the west side of Tracy Ave. between Babcock St. and Mendenhall St. All of
these lots and locations were selected by the Parking Commission, with data collected on various
weekdays between late August and early October, 2010.
The map presents average dwell times for each of the lots and on-street parking areas. Note that that on-street parking denoted by slender grey rectangles represents continuous study segments,
with gaps occurring at the location of the Main St. and Tracy Ave. intersection. As the map
indicates, the average dwell time for these parking areas ranged from 38 minutes to 1 hour. In
general, these averages suggested that on-street versus off-street parking functioned in a similar manner, as no significant differences were observed in terms of the dwell times of vehicles parked in lots compared to those which parked on-street.
Figure 4-8: Off-street public parking dwell times
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4.9. Chapter Summary
This chapter has presented the results of various parking inventory items in a map-based manner.
These maps, which present data at the block level, included the total number of stalls available,
public and private ownership, accessible stalls, permit parking stalls, on- and off-street stalls,
city-owned lot information, occupancy rates and dwell times. In presenting this information on maps, the reader may better understand the distribution of various parking assets on a block by block basis in the downtown area.
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5. OCCUPANCY RATES
Occupancy rates are a measure of the level of utilization of a parking area for a specific period of
time. They help in understanding how parking demand fluctuates during the course of a day for a
particular block or parking lot. To collect the data to support this metric, field data collectors
made manual observations and recordings of the vehicles parked in the blocks of interest at given time intervals. Using these observations, occupancy rate was computed as: 𝑂𝑅=𝑁𝑇𝑃𝑆∗100
Where:
OR = Occupancy rate, spaces/hour
NT = total number of parked vehicles observed
PS = total number of legal parking stalls
Occupancy rate data was collected and estimations have been developed for three dates:
Wednesday, August 11; Saturday, September 11; and Thursday, September 16, 2010. In the case of the last date, occupancy data was recorded for both the Northeast and Southeast parking lots at the intersection of Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. These lots were examined at the request of
the Parking Commission.
5.1. Block Level Occupancy Rates
Of primary interest to the Parking Commission were the occupancy rates for the heart of the
downtown area. These blocks included 1014, 1015, 1016, 1017, 1018, 1024, 1025, 1026, 1027,
and 1028. The following sections will discuss the occupancy rate findings for each of these block groups in detail.
5.1.1. Block 1014
Block 1014 is bordered by Mendenhall St., Willson Ave., Main St. and Grand Ave. on its north,
east, south and west sides, respectively. Table 5-1 presents both the number of vehicles parked
during each observation period on Wednesday, August 11 and Saturday, September 11, 2010, as
well as the resulting occupancy rate for the block. Block 1014 had a total of 101 parking spaces. As the results indicate, the block saw a general increase in occupancy rates on each collection date as the day progressed. This is further illustrated in Figure 5-1. The peak observed rate was
approximately 80 percent occupancy at noon on Wednesday, August 11, 2010. The
corresponding time on Saturday, September 11, 2010 produced a 20 percent lower occupancy
rate, although this can be attributed to that data being collected on a Saturday as opposed to a Wednesday. The general trend observed for this block on each date was an increase in occupancy rates throughout the afternoon and early evening hours. This suggests that more vehicles are
parking for downtown trip purposes, such as evening dining, than morning activities.
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Table 5-1: Block 1014 parking observations and occupancy rates
Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate
7:00 AM 23 22.8%7:20 AM 22 21.8%
8:00 AM 27 26.7%9:10 AM 28 27.7%
9:00 AM 38 37.6%10:15 AM 43 42.6%
10:00 AM 49 48.5%12:10 PM 60 59.4%
11:00 AM 71 70.3%2:00 PM 52 51.5%
12:00 PM 81 80.2%3:30 PM 45 44.6%
1:00 PM 72 71.3%4:05 PM 63 62.4%
2:00 PM 71 70.3%5:25 PM 61 60.4%
3:30 PM 75 74.3%6:55 PM 57 56.4%
4:40 PM 66 65.3%8:20 PM 65 64.4%
5:50 PM 63 62.4%
7:05 PM 66 65.3%
8:30 PM 60 59.4%
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 Saturday, September 11, 2010
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Figure 5-1: Block 1014 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates
5.1.2. Block 1015
Block 1015 is bordered by Mendenhall St., Tracy Ave., Main St. and Willson Ave. on its north, east, south and west sides, respectively. Table 5-2 presents both the number of vehicles parked during each observation period on Wednesday, August 11 and Saturday, September 11, 2010, as
well as the resulting occupancy rate for the block. Block 1015 had a total of 96 parking spaces,
including 28 in a city-owned public lot. This block saw a gradual increase in occupancy rates on
both data collection dates. This is illustrated in Figure 5-2. Interestingly, a larger noontime rate was observed on the Saturday data collection as compared to Wednesday. Conversely, the largest rate observed overall was during the 7:00 p.m. hour on Wednesday. On both dates, occupancy
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rates generally rose throughout the afternoon, peaking in the early evening. This once again
suggests that more vehicles are parking for downtown trip purposes, such as evening dining, than
morning activities.
Table 5-2: Block 1015 parking observations and occupancy rates
Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate
7:12 AM 22 22.9%7:35 AM 24 25.0%
8:10 AM 20 20.8%9:20 AM 41 42.7%
9:10 AM 35 36.5%10:30 AM 55 57.3%
10:10 AM 47 49.0%12:20 PM 71 74.0%
11:10 AM 67 69.8%2:25 PM 66 68.8%
12:10 PM 67 69.8%3:45 PM 52 54.2%
1:10 PM 72 75.0%4:15 PM 53 55.2%
2:10 PM 70 72.9%5:35 PM 56 58.3%
3:40 PM 73 76.0%7:05 PM 60 62.5%
4:40 PM 66 68.8%8:30 PM 54 56.3%
6:01 PM 65 67.7%
7:15 PM 79 82.3%
8:45 PM 72 75.0%
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 Saturday, September 11, 2010
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Figure 5-2: Block 1015 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates
5.1.3. Block 1016
Block 1016 is bordered by Mendenhall St., Black Ave., Main St. and Tracy Ave. on its north, east, south and west sides, respectively. Table 5-3 presents both the number of vehicles parked during each observation period on Wednesday, August 11 and Saturday, September 11, 2010, as
well as the resulting occupancy rate for the block. Block 1016 had a total of 479 parking spaces,
including 435 stalls in the city’s parking garage. Similar to the other block groups examined thus
far, block 1016 saw a gradual increase in occupancy rates throughout the morning and culminating at approximately noon. Interestingly, occupancy rates following these peaks fell steadily throughout the afternoon, reaching levels comparable to those observed during the early
morning period. This is illustrated in Figure 5-3. The nature of this trend seems to indicate that
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the parking on this block (on weekdays) is predominantly work-related, as evidenced by the drop
in occupancy following normal business hours. On weekends, occupancy on this block was quite
low. Of course, one must bear in mind that the observed number of vehicles and resulting
occupancy rates all appear lower given the large parking capacity contained within the block itself. Note that the occupancy rates observed on this block are lower than those observed
elsewhere due to the inclusion of the parking garage stalls in this analysis.
Table 5-3: Block 1016 parking observations and occupancy rates
Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate
7:17 AM 37 7.7%7:45 AM 46 9.6%
8:15 AM 66 13.8%9:25 AM 49 10.2%
9:20 AM 102 21.3%10:40 AM 79 16.5%
10:20 AM 131 27.3%12:25 PM 97 20.3%
11:20 AM 140 29.2%2:35 PM 71 14.8%
12:20 PM 152 31.7%3:34 PM 68 14.2%
1:20 PM 159 33.2%4:25 PM 52 10.9%
2:20 PM 154 32.2%5:40 PM 47 9.8%
3:45 PM 135 28.2%7:15 PM 50 10.4%
4:50 PM 139 29.0%8:30 PM 44 9.2%
6:11 PM 75 15.7%
7:25 PM 63 13.2%
9:00 PM 51 10.6%
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 Saturday, September 11, 2010
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Figure 5-3: Block 1016 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates
5.1.4. Block 1017
Block 1017 is bordered by Mendenhall St., Bozeman Ave., Main St. and Black Ave. on its north,
east, south and west sides, respectively. Table 5-4 presents both the number of vehicles parked during each observation period on Wednesday, August 11 and Saturday, September 11, 2010, as well as the resulting occupancy rates for the block. Block 1017 had a total of 183 parking spaces,
including 73 stalls in a city-owned public lot. Similar to the other block groups, Block 1017 saw
a gradual increase in occupancy rates throughout the morning and culminating at approximately
12:30 p.m. Occupancy rates following these peaks fell steadily throughout the afternoon, before once again climbing briefly in the early evening (7:00 hour). This is illustrated in Figure 5-4.
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Overall, occupancy rates tended to be higher on the weekday collection date as opposed to the
weekend. Just as with other block groups, it would appear that the parking occupancy on this
block corresponds generally to lunch and dinner periods.
Table 5-4: Block 1017 parking observations and occupancy rates
Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate
7:30 AM 20 10.9%8:00 AM 33 18.0%
8:25 AM 42 23.0%9:35 AM 51 27.9%
9:30 AM 79 43.2%10:55 AM 79 43.2%
10:30 AM 78 42.6%12:40 PM 89 48.6%
11:30 AM 87 47.5%2:45 PM 71 38.8%
12:30 PM 109 59.6%3:25 PM 67 36.6%
1:30 PM 113 61.7%4:30 PM 59 32.2%
2:30 PM 87 47.5%5:30 PM 51 27.9%
4:00 PM 95 51.9%7:20 PM 77 42.1%
5:00 PM 86 47.0%8:40 PM 71 38.8%
6:13 PM 86 47.0%
7:37 PM 101 55.2%
9:10 PM 79 43.2%
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 Saturday, September 11, 2010
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Figure 5-4: Block 1017 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates
5.1.5. Block 1018
Block 1018 is bordered by Mendenhall St., Rouse Ave., Main St. and Bozeman Ave. on its
north, east, south and west sides, respectively. Table 5-5 presents both the number of vehicles
parked during each observation period on Wednesday, August 11, and Saturday, September 11,
2010, as well as the resulting occupancy rates for the block. Block 1018 had a total of 197 parking spaces. Similar to the other block groups, Block 1018 saw a gradual increase in occupancy rates throughout the morning and culminating during the noon hour. Occupancy rates
following these peaks fluctuated throughout the afternoon, but never again exceeded the peak
occupancies of the noon hour on either date. Figure 5-5 graphically depicts the occupancy rate
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trends for this block. Note that occupancy rates tended to be lower during the weekend
observation compared to the weekday. It should also be noted that the overall occupancy rates on
this block tended to be lower than the previous blocks examined. This is likely due to the fact
that this block does not host any public parking lots as previous blocks had. Additionally, this block is somewhat near the fringe of the downtown area, and is thus less likely to draw in
vehicles on trips to visit downtown businesses, even on weekends.
Table 5-5: Block 1018 parking observations and occupancy rates
Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate
7:45 AM 39 19.8%8:36 AM 30 15.2%
8:30 AM 75 38.1%9:49 AM 37 18.8%
9:40 AM 79 40.1%11:05 AM 68 34.5%
10:40 AM 85 43.1%12:45 PM 78 39.6%
11:40 AM 98 49.7%2:55 PM 60 30.5%
12:40 PM 101 51.3%3:20 PM 61 31.0%
1:40 PM 93 47.2%4:50 PM 70 35.5%
2:40 PM 96 48.7%5:55 PM 63 32.0%
4:10 PM 94 47.7%7:27 PM 66 33.5%
5:10 PM 64 32.5%8:45 PM 69 35.0%
6:43 PM 74 37.6%
7:47 PM 79 40.1%
9:23 PM 86 43.7%
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 Saturday, September 11, 2010
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Figure 5-5: Block 1018 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates
5.1.6. Block 1024
Block 1024 is bordered by Main St., Willson Ave., Babcock St. and Grand Ave. on its north,
east, south and west sides, respectively. Table 5-6 presents both the number of vehicles parked
during each observation period on Wednesday, August 11, and Saturday, September 11, 2010, as
well as the resulting occupancy rates for the block. Block 1024 had a total of 163 parking spaces. Unfortunately, the data collector for this block on Wednesday, August 11, 2010, misunderstood the collection interval instruction, hence the data gap exhibited between approximately 9:00 a.m.
and noon on that date. On this date, a peak occupancy was observed during the noon hour,
similar to that of other blocks. Following this peak, occupancy fluctuated throughout the
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afternoon, never significantly exceeding 50 percent. Following 5:00 p.m., occupancy dropped
slightly lower, indicating that this block might be serving some evening activity parking needs.
The trends observed on Saturday, September 11, 2010, showed that occupancy steadily increased
throughout the morning, peaking during the noon hour. Following this peak, occupancy rates dropped somewhat throughout the afternoon, before increasing once again during the early
evening. This early evening increase once again suggests that the block may be serving the
parking needs of evening trips. Figure 5-6 graphically depicts the occupancy rate trends for this
block on each date. Note that occupancy rates tended to be lower during the weekend
observation compared to the weekday, with the exception of the early evening hours.
Table 5-6: Block 1024 parking observations and occupancy rates
Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate
7:02 AM 22 13.5%7:25 AM 19 11.7%
8:48 AM 70 42.9%9:13 AM 41 25.2%
12:08 PM 132 81.0%10:17 AM 51 31.3%
2:57 PM 59 36.2%12:19 PM 81 49.7%
3:52 PM 83 50.9%2:00 PM 67 41.1%
4:50 PM 91 55.8%3:47 PM 61 37.4%
6:02 PM 70 42.9%4:05 PM 58 35.6%
7:05 PM 62 38.0%5:02 PM 63 38.7%
8:10 PM 63 38.7%5:58 PM 66 40.5%
9:12 PM 64 39.3%6:58 PM 69 42.3%
20:16 67 41.1%
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 Saturday, September 11, 2010
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Figure 5-6: Block 1024 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates
5.1.7. Block 1025
Block 1025 is bordered by Main St., Tracy Ave., Babcock St. and Willson Ave. on its north,
east, south and west sides, respectively. Table 5-7 presents both the number of vehicles parked
during each observation period on Wednesday, August 11, and Saturday, September 11, 2010,
as well as the resulting occupancy rates for the block. Block 1025 had a total of 113 parking spaces. The data collector for this block on Wednesday, August 11, 2010, misunderstood the collection interval instructions, hence the data gap exhibited between approximately 9:30 a.m.
and 12:30 p.m. on that date. On this date, peak occupancy was observed during the noon hour,
similar to that of other blocks. Following this peak, occupancy remained high throughout the
afternoon, never significantly falling below 50 percent. Following 5:00 p.m., occupancy dropped
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slightly lower, although the observed rates indicated that this block is likely serving evening
activity parking needs.
The trends observed on Saturday, September 11, 2010, showed that occupancy steadily increased
throughout the morning, peaking during the noon hour. Interestingly, the observed peak exceeded that of the weekday. Following this peak, occupancy rates dropped somewhat during
the early afternoon, before increasing during the late afternoon and early evening. This early
evening increase once again suggests that the block may be serving the parking needs of evening
trips. Figure 5-7 graphically depicts the occupancy rate trends for this block on each date.
Table 5-7: Block 1025 parking observations and occupancy rates
Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate
7:18 AM 34 30.1%7:31 AM 36 31.9%
9:22 AM 43 38.1%9:18 AM 53 46.9%
12:30 PM 67 59.3%10:25 AM 64 56.6%
3:04 PM 56 49.6%12:25 PM 72 63.7%
4:03 PM 60 53.1%2:10 PM 55 48.7%
4:57 PM 61 54.0%3:40 PM 37 32.7%
6:10 PM 50 44.2%4:10 PM 59 52.2%
7:15 PM 49 43.4%5:08 PM 58 51.3%
8:10 PM 48 42.5%6:04 PM 45 39.8%
9:12 PM 29 25.7%7:07 PM 46 40.7%
8:25 PM 47 41.6%
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 Saturday, September 11, 2010
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Figure 5-7: Block 1025 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates
5.1.8. Block 1026
Block 1026 is bordered by Main St., Black Ave., Babcock St. and Tracy Ave. on its north, east,
south and west sides, respectively. Table 5-8 presents both the number of vehicles parked during
each observation period on Wednesday, August 11 and Saturday, September 11, 2010, as well as
the resulting occupancy rates for the block. Block 1026 had a total of 107 parking spaces. The
data collector for this block on Wednesday, August 11, 2010, misunderstood the collection interval instructions, hence the data gap exhibited between approximately 10:00 a.m. and 1:00
p.m. on that date. On this date, peak occupancy was observed at 1:00 p.m., which was likely the
result of noon hour lunch traffic. Following this peak, occupancy remained high throughout the
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afternoon, tapering off after 5:00 p.m. The trends observed on Saturday, September 11, 2010,
showed that occupancy increased throughout the morning, peaking during the noon hour.
Following this peak, occupancy rates dropped during the afternoon, and fell greatly after 5:00
p.m. Figure 5-8 graphically depicts the occupancy rate trends for this block on each date.
Table 5-8: Block 1026 parking observations and occupancy rates
Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate
7:40 AM 31 29.0%7:38 AM 16 15.0%
9:58 AM 55 51.4%9:25 AM 28 26.2%
1:00 PM 74 69.2%10:33 AM 42 39.3%
3:00 PM 64 59.8%12:30 PM 61 57.0%
4:12 PM 69 64.5%2:30 PM 41 38.3%
5:05 PM 51 47.7%3:33 PM 44 41.1%
6:19 PM 28 26.2%4:21 PM 33 30.8%
7:25 PM 27 25.2%5:17 PM 33 30.8%
8:31 PM 23 21.5%6:13 PM 15 14.0%
9:27 PM 20 18.7%7:15 PM 17 15.9%
8:31 PM 12 11.2%
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 Saturday, September 11, 2010
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Figure 5-8: Block 1026 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates
5.1.9. Block 1027
Block 1027 is bordered by Main St., Bozeman Ave., Babcock St. and Black Ave. on its north,
east, south and west sides, respectively. Table 5-9 presents both the number of vehicles parked
during each observation period on Wednesday, August 11, and Saturday, September 11, 2010, as
well as the resulting occupancy rates for the block. Block 1027 had a total of 100 parking spaces. The data collector for this block on Wednesday, August 11, 2010, misunderstood the collection interval instructions, hence the data gap exhibited between approximately 10:00 a.m. and 1:40
p.m. on that date. On this date, peak occupancy was observed at approximately 1:40 p.m., which
was likely the result of residual parking from the noon lunch period. Following this peak,
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occupancy remained high throughout the afternoon, falling only after 5:00 p.m. The trends
observed on Saturday, September 11, 2010, showed that occupancy actually peaked at 10:40
a.m., and remained stable when observed again at 12:38 p.m. Occupancy rates steadily dropped
during the afternoon and evening following this peak. Figure 5-9 graphically depicts the occupancy rate trends for this block on each date.
Table 5-9: Block 1027 parking observations and occupancy rates
Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate
7:52 AM 27 27.0%7:44 AM 10 10.0%
10:11 AM 58 58.0%9:31 AM 30 30.0%
1:40 PM 63 63.0%10:40 AM 51 51.0%
3:21 PM 52 52.0%12:38 PM 50 50.0%
4:20 PM 52 52.0%2:40 PM 41 41.0%
5:12 PM 36 36.0%3:28 PM 39 39.0%
6:27 PM 36 36.0%4:29 PM 36 36.0%
7:33 PM 34 34.0%5:25 PM 30 30.0%
8:37 PM 28 28.0%6:21 PM 22 22.0%
9:34 PM 23 23.0%7:22 PM 22 22.0%
8:37 PM 20 20.0%
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 Saturday, September 11, 2010
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Figure 5-9: Block 1027 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates
5.1.10. Block 1028
Block 1028 is bordered by Main St., Black Ave., Babcock St. and Rouse Ave. on its north, east,
south and west sides, respectively. Table 5-10 presents both the number of vehicles parked
during each observation period on Wednesday, August 11, and Saturday, September 11, 2010, as
well as the resulting occupancy rates for the block. Block 1028 had a total of 216 parking spaces. The data collector for this block on Wednesday, August 11, 2010, misunderstood the collection interval instructions, hence the data gap exhibited between approximately 10:30 a.m. and 2:10
p.m. on that date. On that date, peak occupancy was observed at approximately 2:10 p.m. Unlike
previous block groups, it is believed that this peak was not related to the midday lunch period,
which has exhibited a peak in the other block groups examined. Following this peak, occupancy
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fell throughout the afternoon and early evening. The trends observed on Saturday, September 11,
2010, showed that occupancy peaked at approximately 6:30 p.m. This overall peak occurring in
the early evening on a weekend is likely the result of the presence of various restraints and bars
on and neighboring this block attracting patrons, combined with ample parking. Following this peak, occupancy rates remained higher than those observed during the day for the remainder of
the evening. Figure 5-10 graphically depicts the occupancy rate trends for this block on each
date.
Table 5-10: Block 1028 parking observations and occupancy rates
Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate
8:04 AM 86 39.8%7:50 AM 56 25.9%
10:30 AM 121 56.0%9:38 AM 79 36.6%
2:10 PM 131 60.6%10:45 AM 87 40.3%
3:21 PM 108 50.0%12:44 PM 87 40.3%
4:30 PM 97 44.9%2:46 PM 98 45.4%
5:20 PM 93 43.1%3:18 PM 93 43.1%
6:31 PM 105 48.6%4:34 PM 82 38.0%
7:39 PM 81 37.5%5:30 PM 112 51.9%
8:41 PM 81 37.5%6:26 PM 180 83.3%
9:39 PM 60 27.8%7:28 PM 150 69.4%
8:43 PM 123 56.9%
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 Saturday, September 11, 2010
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Figure 5-10: Block 1028 vehicle observations versus occupancy rates
5.2. Lot-Specific Occupancy Rates
In addition to examining block-level occupancy rates, the Bozeman Parking Commission was also interested in the individual occupancy rates of two specific city-owned lots. These were the
two lots located in the northeast and southeast corners of the Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave.
intersection. The northeast lot was located in Block 1007, while the southeast lot was located in
Block 1015. The following sections discuss the results of the occupancy rates observed for each of these specific parking lots.
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5.2.1. Southeast Corner Lot (Block 1015)
Data to support the calculation of occupancy rates was collected on three dates: August 11,
September 11, and September 16, 2010 (Wednesday, Saturday, and Thursday, respectively).
With the exception of the September 11 effort, data were collected on weekdays. The first two
collection dates coincided with the overall block-level occupancy data collection effort. The final data collection date coincided with occupancy data collection efforts for the northeast Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. lot, located in Block 1007. This lot did not have data collected
on the previous dates, as it was not included in the downtown blocks of interest. As data was
being collected for the adjacent lot in Block 1007, it was reasonable to collect additional data for
the southeast lot as well for analysis purposes. This specific lot contained 28 stalls.
Table 5-11: Southeast lot parking observations and occupancy rates
Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate
7:12 0 0.0%7:35 9 32.1%7:00 4 14.3%
8:10 4 14.3%9:20 11 39.3%8:00 3 10.7%
9:10 5 17.9%10:30 13 46.4%9:00 7 25.0%
10:10 13 46.4%12:20 25 89.3%10:00 11 39.3%
11:10 19 67.9%2:25 22 78.6%11:00 20 71.4%
12:10 24 85.7%3:45 25 89.3%12:00 25 89.3%
1:10 22 78.6%4:15 16 57.1%1:00 25 89.3%
2:10 18 64.3%5:35 22 78.6%2:00 21 75.0%
3:40 22 78.6%7:05 24 85.7%3:00 15 53.6%
4:40 20 71.4%8:30 23 82.1%4:00 15 53.6%
6:01 24 85.7%5:00 20 71.4%
7:15 25 89.3%6:00 27 96.4%
8:45 26 92.9%7:00 28 100.0%
8:00 28 100.0%
9:00 14 50.0%
10:00 14 50.0%
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 Saturday, September 11, 2010 Thursday, September 16, 2010
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Figure 5-11: Southeast lot vehicle observations versus occupancy rates
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5.2.2. Northeast Corner Lot (Block 1007)
Data for the northeast corner lot was collected on Thursday, September 16, 2010. As discussed
previously, this lot was not part of the ten downtown blocks collected for the originally
contracted occupancy and dwell time studies. Rather, it was collected at the request of the
Parking Commission. This lot contained 43 stalls.
Table 5-12: Northeast lot parking observations and occupancy rates
Time
Parked
Vehicles
Occupancy
Rate
7:00 5 11.4%
8:00 7 15.9%
9:00 13 29.5%
10:00 13 29.5%
11:00 8 18.2%
12:00 29 65.9%
1:00 36 81.8%
2:00 23 52.3%
3:00 22 50.0%
4:00 11 25.0%
5:00 10 22.7%
6:00 11 25.0%
7:00 17 38.6%
8:00 25 56.8%
9:00 20 45.5%
10:00 14 31.8%
Thursday, September 16, 2010
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Figure 5-12: Northeast lot vehicle observations versus occupancy rates
As both Table 5-12 and Figure 5-12 indicate, the northeast corner lot at Mendenhall St. and
Willson Ave. experienced a peak occupancy or 81.8 percent at approximately 1:00 p.m. The
overall trend observed for this lot match those of other lots and blocks discussed throughout this
chapter. Occupancy fluctuates throughout the morning, increasing at noon and peaking at 1:00
p.m., coinciding with the end of the lunch hour period. Following this peak, occupancy drops off throughout the afternoon before once again slightly peaking during the early evening at 8:00 p.m.
5.3. Chapter Summary
In general, a similar trend in occupancy rates was observed between all of the block groups
examined, both on a weekdays and weekends. Occupancy would steadily increase throughout the
morning and reach the peak for the day during the noon hour. This was not surprising, as it
coincided with the lunch hour when downtown restaurants were likely to be heavily frequented. Following this midday peak, occupancy rates for most blocks would fall throughout the afternoon and evening hours. The exceptions to this observation were Blocks 1015, 1017 and
1018 on weekdays and Blocks 1014, 1017, 1024 and 1028 on weekends. These blocks were
adjacent to many restaurant and bar establishments, explaining these late day increases in
occupancy.
When the individual city lots on the northeast and southeast corners of the Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. intersection were examined, a similar trend to the block level was observed.
Occupancy rates would climb throughout the morning and peak at approximately noon. The
exception to this was the southeast corner lot, which experienced a second, often higher peak
during the early evening hours. In fact, 100 percent occupancy was achieved in this lot on Thursday, September 16, 2010, between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Recall from Chapter 2 that one best practice for parking management is the guideline that at least
50 percent of available public parking be occupied throughout the day. While discussion at the
block level regarding this metric is not possible, as public and private parking observations were
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aggregated together, it is possible to touch upon the lots on the northeast and southeast corners of
Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. The southeast corner lot remained above 50 percent occupancy
throughout most of the day upon reaching this threshold during the late morning. The northeast
lot only reached this threshold during peak periods (i.e. the noon hour and early evening). Consequently, this northeast lot may be considered underutilized at present when the 50 percent
threshold is employed.
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6. DWELL TIME AND TURNOVER ANALYSIS
Dwell time is a determination of the length of time that vehicles spend in parking spaces. The
benefit of the dwell time metric is that it provides an indication of overall parking capacity.
Based on the preferences of the Parking Commission, the dwell times for four city-owned lots
and two on-street parking areas were examined. These included:
• Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. northeast corner lot owned by the city (block 1007);
• Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. southeast corner lot owned by the city (block 1015);
• Mendenhall St. and Black Ave. southeast corner lot owned by the city and referred to as
the Carnegie lot (block 1017);
• Babcock St. and Rouse Ave. northwest corner lot owned by the city (block 1028);
• Tracy Ave. on-street parking , west side of the street between Mendenhall St. and
Babcock St. (blocks 1015 and 1025); and
• Main St. on-street parking , north side of the street between Black Ave. and Willson Ave.
(blocks 1015 and 1016);
The following sections discuss the data collection process employed to collect dwell time data and the results generated from that data for each site of interest.
6.1. Dwell Time Data Collection
The methodology employed in collecting dwell time data was straightforward. As stated, the
parking commission indicated interest in obtaining the dwell times for four city-owned lots and
two on-street parking areas. Data collectors were deployed to each site of interest on various
dates (specific dates and times are indicated in the following subsections) to manually observe and collect data over a period of six hours. A six hour period was employed based on
engineering judgment, as it would provide a sufficient sample size of observed dwell times.
To collect dwell time data, collection personnel monitored parking lot entrances and on-street
spaces, noting the last three digits of an entering or exiting vehicle’s license plate, general
vehicle characteristics (make, model, color), and the time that a vehicle entered or left the lot or parking space. These data were then entered into spreadsheets for analysis. Note that vehicles
already present at the beginning or end of data collection efforts were excluded from analysis, as
large sample sizes (70+ observations) of observed dwell times were obtained for each lot or area
of interest.
6.2. Dwell Time Analysis Methodology
A basic methodology was employed in analyzing dwell time. The first step was establishing the duration a vehicle remained parked in the lot. This was accomplished by subtracting the observed exit time from the observed entry time (delta). As noted in the prior section, vehicles
that were already present at the beginning or remaining at the end of data collection efforts were
excluded from analysis. Once the dwell time duration for vehicles was determined, descriptive
statistics were generated for each site. These included the mean, median, mode, standard deviation and the minimum and maximum dwell times observed. Additionally, histograms were generated for each lot of interest, displaying the frequency of observations for vehicle dwell time
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durations (by five minute intervals). The results of the analysis performed for each lot are
presented in the following sections.
6.3. Dwell Time Results
6.3.1. Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. Northeast Lot
This lot, which is owned by the city, is located in Block 1007 and contains 43 stalls. Dwell time
data for the site was collected on two separate dates: Tuesday, August 17, and Thursday,
September 16, 2010. August data was collected between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., while September data was collected between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., based on the availability of
collection personnel. The August data collection was performed under the original scope of the
project, while the September data collection was performed at the request of the city to provide
supplemental information regarding discussions related to parking specific to the vicinity of the
Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. intersection.
Descriptive statistics for the August data collection effort are presented in Table 6-1. The mean
(average) observed dwell time at the site was 46 minutes, with a standard deviation (i.e. variation
from the mean) of 41 minutes. The median (middle of the range of observations) was 38 minutes,
while the mode (value of highest number of observations) was 8 minutes. The minimum
observed dwell time was 3 minutes, while the maximum was 3 hours and 50 minutes. Also included in the table are descriptive statistics pertaining to vehicles which remained parked in the
lot for over two hours. Note that the lot has a two hour time limit unless the vehicle has a permit,
hence the inclusion of this data.
Table 6-1: Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. northeast lot descriptive statistics (August 17, 2010)
All
observations 2+ Hours
Sample size 90 4
Mean 0:46 2:51
Median 0:38 2:45
Mode 0:08 N/A
Standard Deviation 0:41 0:46
Minimum Obs.0:03 2:04
Maximum Obs.3:50 3:50
Figure 6-1 presents a frequency distribution of dwell time durations at five minute intervals. As
the data plotted in this figure indicates, the highest frequencies of vehicle dwell times were in the 10 and 15 minute categories. This indicates that the majority of dwell times at the site were
between 10 and 20 minutes during the August data collection. The frequency distribution itself
exhibits a somewhat positive skew, with the bulk of dwell time observations falling to the left of
the distribution. In general, the observed frequency distribution illustrates what was determined
through the mean dwell time that most vehicles parking in this lot were remaining for less than one hour.
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Figure 6-1: Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. northeast lot dwell time frequencies
Descriptive statistics for the September data collection effort are presented in Table 6-2. The mean (average) observed dwell time at the site was 48 minutes, which closely matches the observation of the August data. The standard deviation was 42 minutes, the median was 38
minutes, and the mode was 6 minutes. The minimum observed dwell time was 2 minutes, while
the maximum was 3 hours and 13 minutes. In general, all of these values are similar to those of
the August data. Also included in the table are descriptive statistics pertaining to vehicles which remained parked in the lot for over 2 hours.
Table 6-2: Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. northeast lot descriptive statistics (Thursday,
September 16, 2010)
All
observations 2+ Hours
Sample size 105 8
Mean 0:48 2:24
Median 0:38 2:13
Mode 0:06 2:02
Standard Deviation 0:42 0:26
Minimum Obs.0:02 2:02
Maximum Obs.3:13 3:13
Figure 6-2 presents a frequency distribution of dwell time durations from the September data
collection at five minute intervals. Once again, the highest frequencies of vehicle dwell times were in the 10 and 15 minute categories, indicating that the majority of dwell times at the site
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were between 10 and 20 minutes. The frequency distribution itself exhibits less of a definitive
distribution. While a somewhat positive skew exists to the left of the distribution, the observed
dwell time frequencies occurring in the middle make the overall distribution trend less
pronounced compared to August. What this figure does illustrate is that just as was the case with the August data, most vehicles remained in the lot less than one hour in September.
Figure 6-2: Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. northeast lot dwell time frequencies
In examining the data specific to vehicles parked for greater than 2 hours on both dates (i.e.
exceeding the posted time restriction), it is evident that only a limited number of vehicles remained in the lot for longer than 2 hours (a total of 12). This would seem to indicate that there
are not a large number permit-holders parking in this lot. The field data collectors did not note
any of these vehicles present for more than two hours as being ticketed on either date.
Overall, the dwell time results for the Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. northeast lot indicate that
most vehicles remain parked for under one hour. The mean dwell time for the August data was 46 minutes, while the mean dwell time in September was 48 minutes, underscoring this
observation. At no time was the lot observed to be at capacity. While not displayed in this
section, a peak in entering vehicles are observed between 11:50 and 12:30 was observed, which
coincides with patrons arriving for lunch downtown.
6.3.2. Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. Southeast Lot
This lot, which is owned by the city, is located in Block 1015, directly south of the previously discussed lot and contains 28 stalls. Dwell time data for the site was collected on Thursday, September 23. The data was collected between 11:45 a.m. and 5:45 p.m., based on the
availability of collection personnel. This portion of the data collection was performed at the
request of the city beyond the original project scope to provide supplemental information
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regarding discussions related to parking specific to the vicinity of the Mendenhall St. and
Willson Ave. intersection.
Descriptive statistics for the site are presented in Table 6-3. The mean (average) observed dwell
time at the site was 38 minutes, with a standard deviation (i.e. variation from the mean) of 33 minutes. The median (middle of the range of observations) was 27 minutes, while the mode
(value of highest number of observations) was 8 minutes. The minimum observed dwell time
was 4 minutes, while the maximum was 5 hours and 54 minutes. Also included in the table are
descriptive statistics pertaining to vehicles which remained parked in the lot for over two hours.
Table 6-3: Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. southeast lot descriptive statistics
All
observations 2+ Hours
Sample size 114 4
Mean 0:38 2:24
Median 0:27 2:17
Mode 0:08 N/A
Standard Deviation 0:33 0:20
Minimum Obs.0:04 2:08
Maximum Obs.2:54 2:54
Figure 6-3 presents a frequency distribution of dwell time durations at five minute intervals. As
the data plotted in this figure indicates, the highest frequencies of vehicle dwell times were in the
10 and 20 minute categories. This indicates that the majority of dwell times at the site were
between 10 and 25 minutes on the September data collection date. The frequency distribution itself exhibits a somewhat positive skew, with the bulk of dwell time observations falling to the
left and center of the distribution. In general, the observed frequency distribution illustrates what
was determined through the mean dwell time that most vehicles parking in this lot were
remaining for less than one hour and fifteen minutes.
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Figure 6-3: Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. southeast lot dwell time frequencies
In general, the results of the dwell time analysis for the southeast lot at the Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. intersection indicated that this lot may be used by (slightly) shorter term parkers
when compared to the lot located across the street (northeast corner). This is evidenced by the
mean dwell time for the lot, which was 38 minutes, compared to 46+ minutes for the northeast
lot. Of course, the sample size of southeast lot observations was slightly larger (114 observations), which may have contributed to the slightly smaller mean dwell time value.
6.3.3. Mendenhall St. and Black Ave. Southeast Lot
This lot, which is owned by the city, is located in Block 1017 and also referred to as the Carnegie
lot, containing 60 stalls. Note that this total does not include the 13 alley stalls adjacent to the lot,
which also are city-owned. Dwell time data for the site was collected on Wednesday, August
11th. The data was collected between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., based on the availability of
collection personnel. This portion of the data collection was performed under the original project scope.
The mean observed dwell time at the site was one hour. The standard deviation was 39 minutes,
the median was 55 minutes, and the mode was 1 hour and 6 minutes. The minimum observed
dwell time was 3 minutes, while the maximum was 3 hours and 54 minutes. In general, all of
these values are in line with what has been observed in other downtown lots.
Also included in the table are descriptive statistics pertaining to vehicles which remained parked
in the lot for over 2 hours. As indicated, ten vehicles were observed to remain in the lot for over
two hours, exceeding the posted restriction. Five of the vehicles observed to exceed two hours
received tickets (one vehicle received two tickets), indicating that not all vehicles remaining in
the lot longer than two hours had permits. The lot itself was observed to briefly reach capacity at 12:38; however, exiting vehicles soon after freed up capacity once again.
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Table 6-4: Mendenhall St. and Black Ave. southeast lot descriptive statistics
All
observations 2+ Hours
Sample size 127 10
Mean 1:00 2:35
Median 0:55 2:26
Mode 1:06 N/A
Standard Deviation 0:39 0:35
Minimum Obs.0:03 2:01
Maximum Obs.3:54 3:54
Figure 6-4 presents a frequency distribution of dwell time durations at five minute intervals. As
the data plotted in this figure indicates, the highest frequencies of vehicle dwell times were in the 35 and 55 minute, as well as 1 hour and 5 minute and 1 hour and 10 minute categories. This indicates that the majority of vehicles at the site remained for longer durations compared to other
sites. The frequency distribution itself exhibits the appearance of a bell-shaped curve, although
this does not mean that the data is in fact normally distributed.
Figure 6-4: Mendenhall St. and Black Ave. southeast lot dwell time frequencies
Overall, the data collected for this site indicate that it is used by vehicles for longer periods of time, as exhibited through the average dwell time of one hour. This is likely due to its centralized
location near downtown, which makes the lot convenient to vehicles visiting the area for various
purposes.
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6.3.4. Babcock St. and Rouse Ave. Northwest Lot
This lot, which is owned by the city, is located in Block 1028 and contains 43 stalls. Dwell time
data for the site was collected on Friday, October 8. The data was collected between 10:00 a.m.
and 4:00 p.m., based on the availability of collection personnel. This portion of the data
collection was performed under the original project scope.
The mean observed dwell time at the site was 58 minutes. The standard deviation was 54 minutes, the median was 50 minutes, and the mode was 6 minutes. The minimum observed dwell
time was 3 minutes, while the maximum was 3 hours and 54 minutes. In general, all of these
values, while slightly higher, are in line with what has been observed in other downtown lots.
Also included in the table are descriptive statistics pertaining to vehicles which remained parked in the lot for over 2 hours. As indicated, five vehicles were observed to remain in the lot for over two hours.
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Table 6-5: Babcock St. and Rouse Ave. northwest lot descriptive statistics
All
observations 2+ Hours
Sample size 91 5
Mean 0:58 3:37
Median 0:50 3:26
Mode 0:06 N/A
Standard Deviation 0:54 1:30
Minimum Obs.0:01 2:01
Maximum Obs.5:52 5:52
Figure 6-5 presents a frequency distribution of dwell time durations at five minute intervals. As
the data plotted in this figure indicates, the highest frequencies of vehicle dwell times were in the 10 minute, 25 minute, one hour and 25 minute and one hour and 40 minute categories. In general, it appears that this lot experiences a great variability in parking dwell times overall. The
frequency distribution itself does not exhibit the characteristics of any discernable distribution.
Figure 6-5: Babcock St. and Rouse Ave. northwest lot dwell time frequencies
Overall, the data collected for this site indicate that it is used by vehicles for both short and long
periods of time, as exhibited through the frequency distribution. Given the location of this lot at
the boundary of the downtown area, it seems reasonable to conclude that vehicles visit the lot for
various purposes, resulting in various parking durations.
6.3.5. Tracy Ave. On-Street Parking
This portion of the dwell time analysis examined the on-street parking on the west side of Tracy Ave. between Mendenhall St. and Babcock St. This parking was located adjacent to blocks 1015
and 1025 and was comprised of 11 stalls. Dwell time data for the site was collected on Tuesday,
August 24. The data was collected between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., based on the availability of
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collection personnel. This portion of the data collection was performed under the original project
scope.
The mean observed dwell time at the site was 40 minutes. The standard deviation was 39
minutes, the median was 31 minutes, and the mode was 23 minutes. The minimum observed dwell time was 1 minute, while the maximum was 3 hours and 1 minute. All of these values are
slightly lower than observations made for the downtown parking lots, but are still in line with
what could be expected.
Also included in the table are descriptive statistics pertaining to vehicles which remained parked
on-street for over 2 hours. As indicated, seven vehicles were observed to remain parked for over two hours, exceeding the posted restriction. None of these vehicles were observed to receive a
ticket.
Table 6-6: Tracy Ave. on-street parking descriptive statistics
All
observations 2+ Hours
Sample size 78 7
Mean 0:40 2:17
Median 0:31 2:09
Mode 0:23 N/A
Standard Deviation 0:39 0:20
Minimum Obs.0:01 2:03
Maximum Obs.3:01 3:01
Figure 6-6 presents a frequency distribution of dwell time durations at five minute intervals. As
the data plotted in this figure indicates, the highest frequencies of vehicle dwell times were in the
5 and 10 minute categories. This is not surprising given that on-street parking was being
examined. Drivers utilizing such parking stalls could be expected to be making brief trips to
downtown locations (i.e. errands), resulting in short dwell times. The frequency distribution itself exhibits a positive skew to the left, with dwell time observations tapering off on the right of the
distribution, further illustrating the brief nature of parking behaviors using the observed stalls.
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Figure 6-6: Tracy Ave. on-street dwell time frequencies
Overall, the data collected for this site indicate that it is used by vehicles for brief periods of
time, as exhibited through the frequency distribution. This is likely due to the nature of trip
utilizing these parking spaces. Such trips are likely brief in nature (errands and such); longer downtown visits are likely to result in a driver parking their vehicle in an off-street parking lot.
6.3.6. Main St. On-Street Parking
This portion of the dwell time analysis examined the on-street parking on the north side of Main
St. between Black Ave. and Willson Ave. This parking was located adjacent to blocks 1015 and
1016 and was comprised of 24 stalls. Dwell time data for the site was collected on Monday,
August 23. The data was collected between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., based on the availability of
collection personnel. This portion of the data collection was performed under the original project scope.
Table 6-7 presents a summary of the descriptive statistics for dwell times for Main St. on-street
parking. The mean observed dwell time at the site was 47 minutes. The standard deviation was
42 minutes, the median was 36 minutes, and the mode was 19 minutes. The minimum observed
dwell time was 1 minute, while the maximum was 3 hours and 40 minutes. The mean dwell time was in line with observations made for the downtown parking lots. This suggests that Main St.
on-street parking functions in a similar manner to off-street parking lots, as opposed to the trend
observed on Tracy Ave.
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Also included in the table are descriptive statistics pertaining to vehicles which remained parked
in the lot for over 2 hours. As indicated, seven vehicles were observed to remain parked for over
two hours, exceeding the posted restriction. None of these vehicles were observed to receive a
ticket.
Table 6-7: Main St. on-street parking descriptive statistics
All
observations 2+ Hours
Sample size 129 7
Mean 0:47 2:54
Median 0:36 2:59
Mode 0:19 N/A
Standard Deviation 0:42 0:40
Minimum Obs.0:01 2:02
Maximum Obs.3:40 3:40
Figure 6-7 presents a frequency distribution of dwell time durations at five minute intervals. As the data plotted in this figure indicates, the highest frequencies of vehicle dwell times were in the
20 minute category. This would suggest that on Main St., on-street parking is being used for
downtown visits that are of medium time duration. The frequency distribution itself exhibits a
positive skew to the left, with dwell time observations tapering off on the right of the distribution. There are some intermittent waves in longer-duration dwell time frequencies observed throughout the course of distribution, suggesting that the trip purposes behind on-street
parking for this case vary considerably.
Figure 6-7: Main St. on-street dwell time frequencies
Overall, the data collected for Main St. on-street parking indicate that parking is being used for varying durations of time. This is likely due to the differing nature of trips utilizing these parking
spaces. The mean observed dwell time for this case was similar to that observed for off-street
parking lots, suggesting that each parking type is utilized in a similar manner.
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6.3.7. Parking Garage
The final dwell time analysis examined the new downtown parking garage. This structure is
located in block 1016 and contains 435 stalls (including 10 that are handicapped accessible).
Dwell time data for this site was provided by the City of Bozeman from electronic records
collected at the garage itself. The data examined was collected on August 11, 2010 between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to coincide with other dwell time data collection efforts being performed by field staff.
Table 6-8 presents a summary of the descriptive statistics for the parking garage dwell times. The
mean observed dwell time at the site was 1 hour and 21 minutes. The standard deviation was 1
hour, the median was 1 hour and 9 minutes, and the mode was 41 minutes. The minimum observed dwell time was 2 minutes, while the maximum was 3 hours and 57 minutes. The mean dwell time was in line with expectations, as the parking garage was more likely to be used by
long term parkers (including those who had contracts with the city to park long-term). This
suggests that the parking structure is, to an extent, serving to remove vehicles that are parking
long-term from public surface lots in the downtown area.
Also included in the table are descriptive statistics pertaining to vehicles which remained parked in the garage for over 2 hours. These 14 vehicles consisted of contract parkers. Note that these
results do not factor in vehicles parked under contract that were present before the analysis
period began or those which entered during the analysis period but did not exit the garage prior
to its end.
Table 6-8: Downtown parking garage descriptive statistics
All
observations 2+ Hours
Sample size 64 14
Mean 1:21 2:56
Median 1:09 2:49
Mode 0:41 2:21
Standard Deviation 1:00 0:37
Minimum Obs.0:02 2:00
Maximum Obs.3:57 3:57
Figure 6-8 presents a frequency distribution of dwell time durations at five minute intervals. As
the data plotted in this figure indicates, the highest frequencies of vehicle dwell times were in the
2 hour plus category. This was expected, as the parking garage is more likely to service long-term parking needs as opposed to short trips. Overall, the frequency distribution fluctuates,
exhibiting no discernable trend. Higher frequencies of duration were observed in the 5 minute,
20 minute, 45 minute, 55 minute, and 1 hour and 15 minute categories, further underscoring the
random nature of parking durations in the garage.
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Figure 6-8: Downtown parking garage dwell time frequencies
Overall, the data collected for the parking garage indicate that it is being used for longer duration parking. This is beneficial to the other public surface lots in the downtown area, as it frees up
stalls for shorter-term parking in them. The mean observed dwell time for the parking garage was
higher than observed for other downtown parking facilities, which was expected.
6.4. Turnover Rate
In addition to examining the dwell time for each of the lots/areas discussed in the previous
sections, the turnover rate for these parking assets was also of interest. The parking turnover rate refers to the number of individual vehicles which occupy a particular space over a specific period
of time, in the case of this work, one hour. Turnover is computed as: 𝑇𝑅=𝑁𝑇𝑃𝑆∗𝑇𝑆 (27
Where:
)
TR = parking turnover rate, vehicles/stall/hour
NT = total number of parked vehicles observed
PS = total number of legal parking stalls
TS = total duration of study period, in hours
6.4.1. Turnover Rate Results
Results of the occupancy rate calculations are presented in Table 6-9. As shown, stalls in off-
street parking facilities had a tendency to turn over at a significantly lower rate than on-street
stalls. A rate of 1.0 would indicate that a stall was used by one vehicle per hour, while a rate of
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2.0 would indicate two vehicles per hour had used a stall. Conversely, a turnover rate of 0.50
would indicate that a stall was used by a single vehicle for a period of duration greater than one
hour. An acceptable parking turnover rate will vary depending on the land uses being served, the
locale and traffic mix and other factors.
As the results indicate, off-street parking stalls were typically occupied by between 0.34 and 0.40
vehicles per hour. While this does not mean that less than one vehicle (i.e. a fractional vehicle)
occupied each stall in a specific lot each hour, it does indicate that the stalls were not at capacity
over the duration of the study period (six hours at all sites). Interestingly, only the Mendenhall
St. and Willson Ave southeast corner lot exceeded a rate of 0.50. This may be attributed to the location of the lot itself near many downtown businesses, which draws in motorists who are only
planning a brief stop at said businesses compared to other off-street lots.
On-street parking stalls showed significantly higher occupancy rates, ranging from 0.90 to 1.18.
This indicates that the available stalls were being utilized by more vehicles per hour compared to
their off-street counterparts. Of course, these higher rates were driven by the limited number of stalls being examined combined with higher demand/accessibility. As these stalls are located in
the heart of the downtown district, it stands to reason they would see higher usage by motorists,
particularly those who would use the spots briefly while on short trips.
Table 6-9: Turnover rate results
Location
Observed
Vehicles Stalls
Study
Duration (hrs)
Turnover
Rate Date
Mendenhall and Black 127 58 6 0.36 8/11/2010
Mendenhall and Willson NE 90 44 6 0.34 8/17/2010
Mendenhall and Willson NE 105 44 6 0.40 9/16/2010
Mendenhall and Willson SE 114 28 6 0.68 9/23/2010
Tracy on-street 78 11 6 1.18 8/24/2010
Main on-street 129 24 6 0.90 8/23/2010
Rouse and Babcock NW 91 48 6 0.32 10/8/2010
Parking Garage 64*435 6 0.02 8/11/2010 * This figure does not include vehicles parked long-term under contract that were already present
at the start of the study period, nor vehicles that arrived during the study period and remained
parked after its conclusion.
6.5. Chapter Summary
This chapter examined the dwell time characteristics and turnover rates for four off-street parking lots and two on-street parking areas in downtown Bozeman. A summary of dwell time
results is presented in Table 6-10, with a histogram of mean values presented in Figure 6-9.
Dwell time results indicated that vehicles remained parked for an average of 38 minutes to 1
hour and 21 minutes. In general, the dwell times observed between on-street and off-street parking did not greatly differ, with the exception of dwell time in the parking garage. These results would seem to indicate that most vehicles parking are doing so as part of trips which are
not necessarily brief in nature. However, this is not entirely the case, as shown by the parking
garage dwell time, as well as evidenced by the turnover rate analysis findings for on-street
parking.
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Table 6-10: Summary of dwell time results
Site
Sample
size
Mean Median Mode Standard
Deviation
Minimum Maximum
Mendenhall-Willson NE Lot
August 17, 2010 90 0:46 0:38 0:08 0:41 0:03 3:50
Mendenhall-Willson NE Lot
September 16, 2010 105 0:48 0:38 0:06 0:42 0:02 3:13
Mendenhall-Willson SE Lot 114 0:38 0:27 0:08 0:33 0:04 2:54
Mendenhall-Black SE Lot 127 1:00 0:55 1:06 0:39 0:03 3:54
Babcock-Rouse NW Lot 91 0:58 0:50 0:06 0:54 0:01 5:52
Tracy on-street 78 0:40 0:31 0:23 0:39 0:01 3:01
Main on-street 129 0:47 0:36 0:19 0:42 0:01 3:40
Parking garage 64 1:21 1:09 0:41 1:00 0:02 3:57
Figure 6-9: Dwell time mean values
Results of the turnover rate analysis indicated that off-street parking facilities see significantly lower turnover, with rates for these lots ranging from 0.02 to 0.68. The parking garage exhibited
extremely low turnover, which was expected given the high number of spaces available, as well
as the nature of parking it services (long-term). On-street parking exhibited higher turnover,
with rates for these areas ranging from 0.90 to 1.18. The reason for these differences is likely the result of the use of the parking itself. On-street stalls are more likely to be used by motorists making brief stops at an adjacent business, resulting in multiple vehicles using a given stall per
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hour. Off-street lots are more likely to be used by longer-term parkers, producing less turnover
during the course of an hour.
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7. PARKING DEMAND CALCULATION
In addition to understanding the current performance of parking assets in downtown Bozeman
(occupancy rates, dwell time, and turnover), the Parking Commission was interested in
examining current parking demand as calculated using information provided by the ITE Parking
Generation guide (18). The following sections present the methodology employed and results of this analysis. The reader should note that the information provided in this chapter represents estimates of current parking demand in downtown Bozeman and is based on a series of
assumptions. These assumptions include the uses and square footages of each building, as well as
the parking generation rate applicable to each building (in some cases where an applicable rate
for a specific type was unavailable). Consequently, there is an element of uncertainty in the estimates presented due to these limitations. Even if exact building use and square footage information were available from the city, the forecasting performed using ITE factors represent
an approximate science. Care should be exercised in applying the numbers presented here as the
amount, duration, and timing of parking demand can vary significantly depending on the mix of
land uses supported by the parking.
7.1. Methodology
Parking demand ratios developed and reported by ITE through the Parking Generation manual were employed for the different building/land uses in the study area. The results of the use of
these ratios were summed together to determine the parking demand for each block. In total,
three pieces of information were required to complete the parking demand calculations:
• The inventory of downtown parking supplies.
• The square footage and use of downtown buildings. The exceptions to this were the
elementary school (number of students) and the bowling alley (number of lanes).
• Appropriate ITE parking generation rates.
Contact with city personnel indicated that no existing databases contained information regarding
building square footage. Therefore, the gross square footage of downtown buildings was collected through measurements using ArcView GIS and a high-resolution aerial photo provided by the City. Additionally, Google street-view images and site visits (as needed) were used to
determine the total number of stories and structure layout of buildings. The overhead outline of
the building was measured (length and width) on the aerial photo, with distinctions made
whether a specific portion of the building was single or multi-story. Once all square footages for a building were completed, they were summed up and entered into a spreadsheet along with the specific building use (such as the case with banks) or general use (provided by the City) for later
analysis. Note that while this method was open to error (over or underestimation of building
square footage), in the absence of any government database providing specific building
dimensions, it was the only realistic option available.
Once the necessary information was assembled, it was possible to compute the current expected peak parking demand for the different blocks in the study area. Note that, while the peak parking
requirements by each land use are computed and aggregated together with other building/land
uses on the block, the peak parking demand for all uses may not necessarily occur
simultaneously. For example, a restaurant is likely to see peak parking needs at noon and in the early evening, while a bank on the same block may experience a peak parking demand at 2:00
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p.m. The combined parking demand estimated for each of these uses on the same block may
indicate that a parking deficit exists, when in reality, there may be a slight parking surplus, as
their respective demands occur at different times throughout the day. The location of such
surpluses will vary, with areas on the periphery of downtown more likely to see lower parking demand and the presence of a surplus. The peak demands presented here are not for a specific
time of day (i.e. 1:00 p.m.); rather, they are for the highest demand point during a day.
The process to calculate the expected peak period parking demand for the blocks and their
building/land uses were as follows. The gross square footage for each building/land use was
divided by 1000 (the ITE parking ratios are based on 1000 ft2 increments) and multiplied by the appropriate ratio for the use of interest. Note that the City of Bozeman parking rate is only applied to 85% of the gross square footage, whereas this work applied the ITE rate to the full
measured footage. In the B-3 zoning district (including the study area of this report) the first
3,000 square feet of the building has an assessed rate of zero spaces by the city. However, as the
ITE parking generation rates were employed in this work, the methodology recommended by that organization was used, which did not factor such adjustments8
The various ITE ratios employed in this process for each building/land use are presented in
.
Table
7-1. This table also presents corresponding metrics, when available, as specified by the Bozeman
UDO (1). Note that Table 7-1 presents maximum requirements and does not take into account
the reduction factors presented earlier in Table 2-2. The square footages measured for various downtown buildings (or the alternative metric employed, such as number of students, bowling
lanes, and individual residences) are presented in Table 7-2. Note that the predominant
downtown buildings were mixed use (business and apartments) and commercial, each with over
400,000 square feet of space, as well as administrative uses (offices) with over 100,000 square
feet of space.
The ratios were selected using professional judgment and general knowledge on the nature of the
business for the respective block. The resulting number of parking spaces demanded was then
subtracted from the available supply for that block. The result was an indication of whether a
parking surplus or deficit was present for that block. Only a parking demand calculation for the
present was developed. An estimate of future parking demand was not feasible for two reasons. First, accurate square footage information for both present, as well as projected future
building/land uses was not known, which limits the reliability of estimates generated. Second, a
rate of growth related to downtown trips could not be reliably established, given the nature of the
tourism trade that frequents the downtown area. Note that the parking demand figures that have
been calculated for the present time do not account for a specific time of year; rather, they represent the average demand that may be expected based on observation made for comparable
uses.
Before proceeding to a discussion of the parking demand results, a few clarifying points are
necessary. First, ongoing reconstruction on the lots where the March 5, 2009, explosion occurred
could not be accounted for in the building square footages estimated for that block (1018). Consequently, the computed parking demand for this block is likely to be lower than what would
actually be observed once construction is completed. Second, parking demand calculations have
8 The ITE methodology was employed in generating parking demand estimates as it a widely employed and
accepted approach which relies on straightforward data inputs.
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been computed assuming that occupied properties (land uses) remain occupied by the same use
as when they were recorded by the city. Finally, parking demand does not take into consideration
the availability of parking on a block at a given time of day.
Table 7-1: ITE parking generation ratios for peak demand based on use
Building/Land use ITE Parking Rate per 1000 sq. ft. City of Bozeman UDO Parking Rate
Commercial (1) 1.13 3.3 (per 1000 sq. ft.)
Administrative 2.84 4.0 (per 1000 sq. ft.)
Mixed use (2) 1.23 N/A
Public Facility (3) 0.98 N/A
Bank 4.00 3.3 (per 1000 sq. ft.)
Restaurant (4) 10.60 20.0 (per 1000 sq. ft.)
Vacant (5) 0.00 0.00
Elementary School (6) 0.17 1.5 spaces per classroom
Auto Repair 2.14 No less than 4 spaces
Single Family Residential 1.83 Varies by number of bedrooms
Courthouse 3.02 N/A
Community Center (7) 0.98 N/A
Church 8.37 1 space per six persons
Emerson Cultural Center (8) 0.98 5.0 (per 1000 sq. ft.)
Bowling Alley 3.13 2 spaces per alley
Duplex 1.62 Varies by number of bedrooms
Light Mfg. 0.75 1.0 (per 1000 sq. ft.)
Library 2.61 N/A
Apartments 1.23 Varies by number of bedrooms
Fire Station (9) 3.02 N/A
(1) While the records provided by the City indicate a series of building uses as “commercial”,
ITE provides no parking generation ratio for such a general classification. As a result, this
work assumes that commercial uses are best represented by ITE’s rate for an apparel store,
which reflects the boutique or specialized nature of many downtown businesses. (2) For building uses listed by the City as “mixed use”, it was assumed that the main floor of the
building was occupied by a commercial business, while the remaining majority of area was
occupied by apartments or professional offices. As ITE does not provide a parking generation
ratio for mixed use such as that found in downtown Bozeman, the apartment ratio was
employed to be conservative, given the likelihood that many mixed use buildings serve as apartment housing. The City itself addresses mixed uses by applying parking ratios to the
disaggregated uses within the building.
(3) Public facilities employed ITE’s museum ratio, as this represented the nature of such uses in
downtown Bozeman (i.e. the Pioneer Museum).
(4) Restaurants were assumed to all be of the ITE high-turnover, sit-down category and based on square footage. City of Bozeman requirement is for serving area only.
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(5) Vacant buildings and land uses were assumed to generate no parking demand.
(6) Hawthorne Elementary School was assumed to have an enrollment of 325 students, based on
school district records.
(7) ITE provides no ratio for a building use such as that of the old high school (listed here as a community center). The museum ratio was employed for this use, although it is likely that
the resulting parking demand is higher than what exists for this block based on site
observations.
(8) ITE provides no ratio for a building use like the Emerson Cultural Center, so the museum
ratio was employed for this category. (9) ITE provides no ratio for fire stations. As a result, the ratio for governmental offices (the
same as applied for the courthouse) has been used, although it is likely that this ratio
overestimates parking demand.
7.2. Results
Estimated present parking demand is presented in Table 7-3. As one would expect based on their
square footages, mixed use, commercial and administrative building uses generated the highest demands for parking. Overall, the results of demand calculations indicated that parking surpluses exist in some areas of the downtown district, while other blocks did not possess a surplus for all
combined peak demands (assuming they were to occur simultaneously). Of course, the calculated
parking demands represent estimated figures which have resulted from the assumptions
previously discussed. Consequently, the results should be viewed as informational in nature and not as an absolute calculation of the true number of surplus stalls available at any given time. As discussed earlier, demand is driven to an extent by the land use being served, and some land uses
experience peak demands during times of day when other, neighboring or shared uses do not. For
example, a restaurant will see increased parking demand at approximately noon and during the
early evening, while a bank may see parking demand during the mid morning and afternoon.
The results of present demand indicated that most individual blocks have a surplus of parking. This cumulative surplus represents headroom to accommodate future parking demand growth in
the downtown area. The availability of such a surplus is important as the entire lifespan of each
building in the downtown area being serviced by parking, its surrounding land uses, and their
interaction over time cannot be accounted for. Only blocks 1014, 1015, 1025, 1026 and 1027 showed a parking deficit. It is interesting to note that the deficit blocks of 1015, 1025, 1026 and 1027 are all in the immediate vicinity of the parking garage (block 1016), which could address
such parking shortages. The parking deficit on blocks 1025 and 1026 was a combined 14 stalls,
which should be considered inconsequential. However, the estimated deficits on blocks 1014 (65
stalls), 1015 (76 stalls) and 1027 (97 stalls) are much larger and warrant discussion. All parking surpluses and deficits are graphically illustrated in Figure 7-1. Blocks with a surplus of parking were shaded green, while those estimated at or approaching a deficit were shaded red. Note that
blocks estimated to be at 85 percent capacity were considered deficit blocks for the purposes of
this map. As this figure indicates, the distribution of blocks that have or are near a parking deficit
is centered around the downtown core. However, several of these blocks are immediately adjacent to the parking garage, which can serve as a “safety valve” to relieve parking deficits as they arise.
The predominant building uses on Block 1014 were commercial and mixed, totaling over 90,000
square feet. It is likely that much of the estimated square footage on this block is used for other
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purposes (ex., apartments or offices) for which appropriate parking ratios could not be assigned.
As a result, the parking deficit on this block is likely overestimated. Additionally, parking
demand was calculated for all peak periods on the block, and these individual peaks do not
necessarily coincide with one another. This is evidenced by the results of the occupancy study presented in Chapter 5, which indicated that the peak occupancy on this block occurred on a
weekday and was 81.8 percent (1:00 p.m.). Given the proximity of the city parking garage and
public lots to this block, even if an overestimation has not been made, any parking deficit was
likely to have been offset by those adjacent facilities.
The predominant building uses on Block 1015 were commercial and restaurant. The commercial use was estimated to generate a demand of 70 stalls, while the restaurant use would generate a
demand of 67 stalls. Obviously, the restaurant demand (and most of the commercial demand)
will not likely occur all at once, so the resulting parking deficit that has been calculated for this
block is not likely to exist. This is further evidenced by the findings of Chapter 5, which
indicated peak occupancy of stalls on the block was 82.3 percent on a weekday (7:15 p.m.). Even if a deficit did occur, the proximity of the city parking garage and public lots to this block would
have offset it. Of course, note that the observed peak occupancy of 82.3 percent is approaching
the 85 percent threshold when parking facilities may be considered effectively full.
Block 1027’s predominant building uses were mixed use (44,100 ft2), banking and administrative
(19,500 ft2 each). The mixed use buildings estimated parking demand was 54 stalls, administrative 55 stalls, and banking 78 stalls. It would appear that the bank parking demand is likely overestimated, although without an individual parking generation study for this specific
site, the true demand ratio is unknown. As with other blocks that had estimated deficits, the peak
demand for all uses was not likely to occur simultaneously. Consequently, a true parking deficit
is not likely on this block. The absence of such a deficit at present is further evidenced by the results discussed in Chapter 5, which showed that the peak occupancy for this block was 63.0 percent on a weekday (1:40 p.m.).
One final note to bear in mind when reviewing the parking demand results is that some parking
facilities, while generally classified as having no restrictions, are indeed restricted to some
extent. For example, bank parking is generally restricted to customers only. Consequently, the surplus of parking that this generally represents is not in fact a true surplus. However, accounting for the presence of such specific restrictions and determining the relationship
between them and parking demand were beyond the scope of this work.
To better understand the relationships between parking surpluses and deficits and how location
may play a role, Figure 7-2 was generated to illustrate the dimensions of each block in the downtown area (general lengths and acreages). Note that the dimensions presented correspond to the North-South by East-West face of each block and are only general measurements (i.e. not
exact in accuracy). In examining this map, the reader should consider that past studies have
indicated that the average distance a person is willing to walk to their destination after parking is
a maximum of 1000 feet. Developing a map that illustrates the various 1000 foot distances from the various parking assets on each block was not feasible here given the various locations of parking stalls and potential destinations. However, the map presented in Figure 7-2 does provide
an indication that a good deal of public parking is provided in the immediate vicinity of the
downtown core, particularly now that the parking garage is available. Public parking availability,
aside from on-street spaces, decreases the further east on Main St. one travels, although many businesses in that area provide their own parking.
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Table 7-2: Summary of downtown building square footage (estimated) by use
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Table 7-3: Current downtown parking demand by block
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Figure 7-1: Parking surpluses and deficits by block
N
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Figure 7-2: General block dimensions
N
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7.3. Chapter Summary
This chapter has presented the results of an estimation of current parking demand study for
downtown Bozeman. Parking demand was calculated through the use of ratios provided by ITE’s
Parking Generation guide. This document provided parking demand ratios for a variety of
building/land uses based on the square footage of a building or other use metrics. In the case of this work, building/land uses were identified by the City of Bozeman’s database, while building square footages were estimated through measurements of aerial photographs from the city in
ArcView GIS. It should be noted that although this study used reasonable assumptions and
practices in estimating future demand there was uncertainty due to the inherent limitations in
available data such as building usage. Care should be exercised in applying the future numbers as the amount, duration, and timing of parking demand can vary significantly depending on the mix of land uses supported by the parking.
The results of present demand indicated that most individual blocks have a surplus of parking.
The availability of such a surplus is important as the entire lifespan of each building in the
downtown area, its surrounding land uses, and their interaction over time cannot be accounted for when estimating parking demand. Therefore, a surplus represents headroom to accommodate future parking demand growth in the downtown area. Blocks 1014, 1015, 1025, 1026 and 1027,
were estimated to have varying deficits. In reality, these deficits did not likely exist, as parking
demands were calculated for peak periods of each use, which were not likely to occur
simultaneously on a block. Indeed, when occupancy rates for each of these blocks were examined, it was found that at no time during the study period were all spaces occupied on any block.
Despite the finding that a parking surplus exists overall, at times it may be perceived there is a
parking deficit. This perception is likely the result of a lack of available parking in the immediate
vicinity of trip destinations during certain periods of the day (e.g. noon). The tendency for motorists to look for parking immediately adjacent to their destination and give up when none is available, rather than trying another nearby parking location, is likely at play here.
Of course, in some instances, a block may have a surplus of parking at first glance (and by the
figures compiled here), but because of parking restrictions, that parking is unavailable to many
motorists. For example, there may be parking available in a bank parking lot, but use of that parking is restricted to bank customers. In other words, the public cannot park in that lot (technically, as they could be towed by the owner) when making a trip to a business across the
street. Such restrictions likely further fuel the public perception that there is a parking deficit
downtown.
What can be done to address these perceptions, other than to inform the public that adequate parking is available and provide an indication of its location, is not readily clear. Once perceptions have been set, they are difficult to change quickly. In the case of downtown
Bozeman, the addition of the parking garage has added parking capacity, yet some downtown
visitors still perceive a shortage of available parking. Whether this perception is the result of
historical observations before the garage opened or more recent experiences is not clear. What is clear is that steps need to be taken to educate the public on the availability (and perhaps location) of downtown parking assets in order to combat this misperception. The form that such a public
information campaign takes is beyond the scope of this project.
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8. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This project has performed a number of different tasks examining parking in downtown
Bozeman. This included a review of current guidance/practice, an inventory of downtown
Bozeman parking stalls, GIS mapping, an evaluation of occupancy rates at the block level, and
dwell time and turnover analysis for selected city-owned parking lots. Based on the work completed during this project, a number of conclusions and recommendations have been drawn. The following sections present the conclusions of this work, along with recommendations.
8.1. Summary of Findings
Recent parking studies completed in Montana cities (Billings and Missoula) provided some
insight into management practices that have been recommended to other communities. Aside
from this information, the individual findings provided comparison points when examining the
results of the Bozeman parking study, namely occupancy rates.
The reports of previous parking studies throughout the U.S. found that only limited information
related to recommended or expected occupancy rates or similar metrics were provided. This
came mainly in the form of the 85 percent rule cited in the Oregon City, and Springfield, Oregon,
reports (13, 14). The only other baseline metric identified by the parking studies was the criteria
that at least 50 percent of available parking assets be controlled or owned by a community (17). This was viewed as important to allow the community to manage parking in terms of allocation,
changing demand, pricing, and enforcement. Studies from throughout the U.S. did provide a
number of different parking management practices that should be considered. Among the
practices identified were:
• Improve signage.
• Work with local businesses to provide long term parking for employees as needed.
• Utilize existing parking assets before adding to supply.
• Formation of a parking advisory committee to assist in guiding parking policy.
• Work with employers to encourage employees to park further from a business, leaving
closer parking stalls open for customers.
• Avoid setting parking fines that are only slightly higher than the cost of one day’s
parking.
• Market exiting parking supply.
• Adopt parking rate ranges based on location and demand.
• Develop incentives for private development of publically available parking.
• Develop a residential parking permit zone policy in residential areas affected by spillover
from commercial parking.
• Negotiate shared use and/or lease agreements with owners of strategically placed existing
private surface lots.
• Define the priority purpose/use for parking in each parking zone or area.
• Establish a decision-making point that indicates a review of the parking system is
undertaken.
• Implement warning tickets for first time offender or out of town visitors.
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• Employ marketing strategies when changes to the parking system occur.
In reviewing guidance documents for information on parking generation rates and management
strategies, the ITE Parking Generation guide provided a number of recommended demand ratios for various types of land uses. Other reference material provided baseline guidance recommended that a 90 percent rule be employed for parking utilization, which differed slightly
from the 85 percent rule identified previously. Note that this guidance, as well as that provided
by individual communities, did not differentiate between land uses; rather, one threshold was
indicated for all available parking. An additional piece of guidance identified was that at least 50 percent of available public parking be occupied throughout the day. Finally, the materials reviewed identified a number of parking management practices which matched those cited in the
previous paragraph.
Downtown parking stall inventory data was collected on July 27, 28, and 29, 2010 (a Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Thursday, respectively) for a total of 31 downtown block groups. A data collector walked each downtown block in the study area and recorded the various parking assets observed by their different characteristics on a data collection sheet. Characteristics recorded
included number of spaces, type of parking (on-street, off-street), ownership, fees and
restrictions.
The inventory found that a total of 5,034 parking stalls were available in the downtown study area. This represents an average of 162 stalls per block, although some blocks contain far more or less than this average. The majority of blocks had between 100 and 200 parking stalls of
various types available. Publicly-owned stalls comprised approximately 48 percent of downtown
parking inventory, while private stalls (i.e., business parking lots) comprised approximately 52
percent. This totaled to 2,426 public parking stalls and 2,608 private parking stalls in the downtown area.
A total of 1,007 (20.1 percent) stalls were recorded as being unrestricted (all on-street). Off-
street privately owned stalls were available for patron use only. This private parking was
comprised of 1,740 stalls, or approximately 35 percent of downtown parking. A total of 689
private off-street stalls were recorded as requiring a permit. Finally, a total of 125 stalls or 2.5 percent of all available downtown parking is designated handicapped accessible.
GIS mapping was employed to visually illustrate downtown parking assets for the study area.
Maps presented data at the block level, and included the total number of stalls available, public
and private ownership, handicapped stalls, permit parking stalls, on- and off-street stalls, city-
owned lot information, occupancy rates and dwell times. This mapping provided the reader with a visual presentation of the data to better understand the distribution of various parking assets and performance on a block-by-block basis in the downtown area.
When examined, occupancy rates shared a similar trend between all block groups, both on
weekdays and weekends (recall the inventory data and occupancy data were collected on
different dates). Occupancy steadily increased throughout the morning and reached its peak for the day during the noon hour. This coincided with the lunch hour when downtown restaurants were likely to be heavily frequented. Following the midday peak, occupancy rates for most
blocks fell throughout the afternoon and evening hours. The exceptions to this observation were
blocks 1015, 1017 and 1018 on weekdays and blocks 1014, 1017, 1024 and 1028 on weekends.
These blocks were adjacent to many restaurant and bar establishments, which explained late day increases in occupancy.
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When the individual city lots on the northeast and southeast corners of the Mendenhall St. and
Willson Ave. intersection were examined, a similar occupancy rate trend to the block level was
observed. Occupancy rates climbed throughout the morning and peaked at approximately noon.
The exception to this was the southeast corner lot, which experienced a second, often higher peak during the early evening hours. In fact, 100 percent occupancy was achieved in this lot on
Thursday, September 16, 2010 between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Dwell time results indicated that vehicles remained parked for an average of 38 minutes to 1
hour and 21 minutes. In general, the dwell times observed between on-street and off-street
parking did not greatly differ; only the parking garage exhibited somewhat unique dwell times (high) which were expected. These results indicated that most of the vehicles observed to park
were doing so as part of trips which were not necessarily brief in nature. However, this was not
entirely the case, as evidenced by the turnover rate analysis findings for on-street parking.
Results of the turnover rate analysis indicated that off-street parking facilities saw significantly
lower turnover, with rates for these lots ranging from 0.02 to 0.68. Recall that parking ratios less than 1.0 indicated that the parking being analyzed was not being fully used, while ratios of 1.0 or
greater indicated that all stalls were being completely utilized each hour. On-street parking
exhibited higher turnover, with rates ranging from 0.90 to 1.18. The reason for these differences
was likely the result of the use of the parking itself. On-street stalls were more likely to be used
by motorists making brief stops at an adjacent business, resulting in multiple vehicles using a given stall per hour. Off-street lots were more likely to be used by longer-term parkers,
particularly the parking garage, with their space less likely to be filled immediately after they
leave, producing less turnover during the course of an hour.
The results of present demand indicated that most individual blocks have a surplus of parking.
The availability of such a surplus is important as the entire lifespan of each building in the downtown area, its surrounding land uses, and their interaction over time cannot be accounted
for when estimating parking demand. Therefore, a surplus represents headroom to accommodate
future parking demand growth in the downtown area. The presence of surpluses was confirmed
by the occupancy rate measurements observed in the downtown core. Peak occupancy rates
ranged between 33.2 percent and 83.3 percent; blocks experiencing high occupancy rates generally did so for only one hour per day. Blocks 1014, 1015, 1025, 1026 and 1027, were
estimated to have varying deficits. In reality, these deficits did not likely exist, as parking
demands were calculated for peak periods of each use, which were not likely to occur
simultaneously on a block. Indeed, when occupancy rates for each of these blocks were
examined, it was found that at no time during the study period were all spaces occupied on any block.
8.2. Recommendations
Based on the work completed, the project team has developed a series of recommendations for
the Parking Commission to consider. Note that these recommendations reflect the views of the
researchers and are presented for consideration and discussion purposes only and do not
constitute mandatory changes.
In terms of inventory, it appears that the city possess an adequate number of publicly-owned stalls. Of course, this may change in the future, and so, consideration should be given to
conducting future parking studies as needed in the future. The need for and location of future
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parking in the downtown area should also continually remain on the slate of Parking
Commission discussions.
One challenge during the course of the inventory was the ability to accurately identify parking
stalls due to the condition of pavement markings. This was true of both public and private parking stalls. While the city cannot address private stall pavement marking conditions,
consideration should be given to maintaining clear, consistent markings for both on- and off-
street parking. For example, the condition of markings in the parking lot on the southeast corner
of Mendenhall St. and Willson Ave. was such that the student data collector had difficulty
determining whether 28 or 29 stalls were present. While it is recognized that the maintenance of parking stall pavement markings is difficult and cannot occur on a frequent basis, consideration
should be given to repainting them when they reach a specific point of deterioration.
While the results of the occupancy rate and dwell time analysis did not indicate any problems at
present, it is possible that issues may arise in the future. This is particularly true if growth in
tourism traffic visiting downtown occurs. As the analysis indicated, some blocks and lots in the downtown area saw significant increases in occupancy near lunch and dinner hours. While
adequate parking capacity exists in the downtown area to absorb these peaks at present,
occupancy rates and dwell times may need to be revisited in the future. One way to gauge
whether future analysis will be needed might be through the observations of enforcement
personnel. Given that they observe parking on a frequent basis, it should be possible to determine, over time, whether parking occupancies and dwell times have changed in a significant
way.
As part of this work, an inventory spreadsheet for the downtown area has been created. This
spreadsheet, which was presented in Figure 4-1, allows for the recording of parking based on a
series of characteristics. Based on the provision of this spreadsheet to the city, it is recommended that it is maintained in the future. When parking is removed (i.e., for building construction), the
net amount of parking lost should be deducted from the inventory spreadsheet for that particular
block. Similarly, when parking is added through renovations, etc., the net amount gained should
be added to the inventory spreadsheet. If this recording is performed as changes incrementally
occur, it should not represent an added burden to parking staff. However, being aware of when such changes occur may present a challenge. Possible approaches to identifying when changes to
parking are occurring may be through alerts from zoning or building permit staff, as well as on-
site observations by parking enforcement personnel.
Based on the identification of best practices, one possible recommendation to consider in the
future would be to employ marketing when major changes to the parking system occur. For example, if a major new parking area is built, or a parking area is removed entirely, alerting the
public to such changes would be beneficial.
As indicated in Chapter 7, one of the challenges encountered in calculating current parking
demand was the lack of available information regarding the specific uses and square footages of
downtown buildings. A formal collection of such data was beyond the scope of this project, and estimated building square footages, as well as general land use classifications were employed in
calculating demand. However, the development of a GIS database which contains accurate
square footage data, as well as specific building uses would greatly facilitate the completion of
future parking demand estimation.
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While not a recommendation that the Parking Commission needs to consider, the parking
demand portion of this work indicated that a need exists to develop parking demand ratios for
mixed use buildings such as those predominant in downtown Bozeman. At present, ITE does not
offer guidance related to such uses, which is surprising given their widespread existence across the country. What little discussion is provided by ITE is related to large suburban mixed use
developments which host only businesses and not housing.
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9. REFERENCES
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Montana, January 30, 2010.
2 LMN Architects, Leland Consulting Group, TD&H Engineering and High Plains Architects. Downtown Bozeman Improvement Plan. City of Bozeman, Montana, December, 2009.
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of Bozeman, Montana, 2001.
5 Rich and Associates. City of Billings Downtown Parking Plan. City of Billings, Montana, January, 2010.
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10 Rich and Associates. City of LaCrosse Parking Study. City of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, May, 2009.
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17 Rich and Associates. Village of Westmont Parking Study. Village of Westmont, Illinois, November, 2008.
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18 Institute of Transportation Engineers. Parking Generation, 4th Edition. Institute of
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20 Willard Alroth. Transportation Engineering Handbook Chapter 14: Parking and Terminals.
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22 Edwards, Jonathan. The Parking Handbook for Small Communities. Institute of Transportation Engineers, Washington D.C. 1994.
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