CARLSBAD — The city has started a parking study for the Village, Barrio and nearby beach area to ease parking concerns by residents and visitors.
City staff are analyzing the way current parking is being used and speaking with community members in the area. Project team members working in the community will be identified with city name badges.
The study and resulting parking management plan will be a road map for how the city can maximize the efficiency of existing parking and encourage alternatives to driving to these busy neighborhoods. The plan will include ideas to be implemented right away and long-term strategies introduced over the next five to 10 years.
“Planning for parking is part art and part science,” said Pam Drew, city planner and project manager for the study. “The technical part of analyzing usage and designing parking lots is relatively straight forward. At the end of the day, it’s the community, not the data, that will tell us if our parking plan will work.”
In addition to parking spaces, the city will explore options for increasing alternatives to vehicle traffic, such as making the project area more inviting for pedestrians, cyclists and public transportation.
In addition to conducting field interviews and collecting data on the use of current public and private parking spaces, during peak and non-peak dates and times, the project team is seeking input via an online survey and will hold a public meeting later this summer.
Public input is also currently being sought on the latest draft of the Village and Barrio Master Plan. Findings from the parking study will be incorporated into the master plan upon completion. The parking study and management plan area expected to be complete in summer 2017.
The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is assisting with the data collection and analysis.
For more information about the parking study and the Village and Barrio Master Plan, visit carlsbadca.gov.
