CURBSIDE ACCESSIBLE PARKING PROJECT
Project Findings Section Outline
1. Grey & Academic Literature Review 2. Jurisdictional Scan 3. Citizen Feedback 4. Online Survey 5. In-Context and Telephone Interviews 6. City of Edmonton Stakeholder Workshop 7. Co-Design Workshop with Placard Holders 8. Tech Review
Grey & Academic Literature Review Through a review of grey and academic research (see appendix A), the following themes emerged: • Placard abuse for the purposes of securing free parking or more desirable stalls is a significant issue for many North American municipalities, with economic impacts beyond lost parking revenue. • Many North American municipalities do not provide a gratuity program for placard holders in paid curbside areas, but for those who do, there is a negative impact on that jurisdiction’s ability to effectively manage the supply/demand constraints of curbside zones.. • An overwhelming majority of persons with disabilities, when surveyed, say that parking availability is vital to their independence. • Lack of adequate designated accessible parking has historically led to many North American jurisdictions offering free curbside parking in paid zones to placard holders as a stop-gap measure. • The process of parking and payment for persons with disabilities is a unique experience and presents different requirements and barriers than for other drivers. • In cities where planners and policy-makers are attempting to navigate curbside accessible parking challenges, there is reason to question whether the subsidy of parking for persons with disabilities is an effective solution to the physical accessibility challenge (i.e. offering a subsidy does not make stalls or pay machines more physically accessibility for a range of users).
is a human rights issue as this “ This change goes against protecting individuals with mobility challenges.” PETE, EDMONTON CITIZEN
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