How does providing parking increase traffic? While providing enough parking for homes and businesses is an important goal of zoning regulations, in many cases the minimum parking requirements in the Los Angeles Zoning Code result in an oversupply of parking — which can actually result in increased traffic congestion and higher rents and home prices.
Consider the following:
- When parking is plentiful and free, it encourages people to drive and discourages walking, cycling and transit use. Donald Shoup, a professor of urban planning at UCLA recognized as a leading scholar on parking issues, compares minimum parking requirements that mandate what he considers to be excessive off-street parking to "fertility drugs for cars."
- When people have to pay for parking, it encourages them to consider other alternatives — such as public transit or walking.
- When it is inconvenient to own a car because parking is limited or expensive, and efficient public transit is available, some people will choose not to own a car or to own fewer cars — which reduces traffic and lowers the demand for parking.
The case for reducing parking requirements. Lowering the amount of parking required for each new home or apartment can help to lower the cost of new housing while reducing traffic, supporting public transit, and promoting healthier lifestyles.
Parking adds significant cost to the price of new homes or apartments, especially in areas where land costs are high. For example, the cost of one parking space in an above ground structure is about $15,000, with spaces in subterranean garage costing about $25,000 each. Reducing the need for parking can make new development more affordable.
Parking Facility |
Cost/space* |
|---|---|
| Surface parking lot | $3,000 |
| Multi-level above ground structure | $12,000 |
| Subterranean | $20,000 |
*Excludes land
Source: Parking Requirement Impacts on Housing Affordability, Victoria Transport Policy Institute
In addition to increasing costs, excess parking makes buildings bigger. When you consider the driveways and aisles needed for parking, each space in structured parking garage takes up 325–350 square feet. With apartments averaging 800 sq ft, requiring two parking spaces/unit means that roughly 45 percent of the building is dedicated to storing cars. Reducing the requirement means that less space is needed, and can result in lower buildings since a level of parking can be eliminated.
