SJSU/VTA research suggests parking code requirements for housing near mass transit could be reduced, saving resources for other priorities.
By Pat Lopes Harris, Media Relations Director
We all know what it’s like to pay to park our cars. But what we think about less often is how much it costs to create parking, whether it’s underground, in structures, or on surface lots.
With municipalities placing a high priority on apartments and condos near mass transit, an important question has emerged: How much parking is enough?
In response, SJSU’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning collaborated with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority to study parking utilization at 12 South Bay housing developments near VTA light rail and Caltrain stations.
They found that local parking code requirements for such properties could be reduced by as much as 26 percent, saving resources for other priorities.
In recognition of their game-changing research, SJSU and VTA will receive the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ Parking Council Best Practices Award for 2011 at this year’s ITE annual meeting in August. Lecturer Eduardo C. Serafin led the SJSU team, which included more than 20 graduate students. Read a VTA news release on the award. Read the report.