By Max Darrow
MOUNTAIN VIEW (KPIX 5) – Finding parking can be difficult in many downtown areas of the Bay Area. Places can be difficult to find in Mountain View as the city gets busier by the week.
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“Friends stopped by this morning – they had to do three or four turns to find something,” said Robert Calkins, who lives near downtown.
But that could start to change. Mountain View City Council has decided to move forward with a new Downtown Parking Strategy, a 10-year plan that aims to better address current and future parking demand.
“The City of Mountain View has been talking about parking for as long as I can remember,” said Mayor Ellen Kamei.
She says adding more parking spaces is part of the puzzle, but not necessarily an important part.
“The City of Mountain View did our research and found that we do have plenty of parking, but most people only look in certain parts of our city,” she said.
The top spots on and around Castro St. are often busy, which is one reason people often circling each other.
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Kamei says better orientation is a crucial piece of the puzzle, and that could mean putting up better signage – perhaps in multiple languages - directing people to other parking options.
Another piece of the puzzle? The introduction of needs-based, fee-based parking spaces. Public street, property, and garage parking are currently free throughout downtown Mountain View.
Some people are not keen on this one, but others believe it will help free up space and encourage people to use other modes of transport to get into the city center.
“Nobody likes to pay for parking,” said Calkins.
“I’m sure paid parking would help,” says Tricia Alesna, who works at Mountain View.
The plan would also call for better enforcement of parking facilities and an incentive to encourage people to consider alternative modes of transport.
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“People can weigh what they want to do for the future. Although the Council has adopted this strategy, nothing is being implemented, ”said Kamei.
