Too Much Parking in Falls Church City?

Editor,

We have too much parking in Falls Church. On many residential streets, the parking lanes sit empty. Rather than a narrow canyon of parked cars, drivers see a space wider than a freeway lane and speed accordingly. That makes us fear for our safety and our cars’ integrity if parked on the street. Those who can park off-street do. We call for the police, but we can’t afford enforcement on every street, all the time. Many parking lanes are so empty that local bicyclists fight traffic calming projects that would narrow the road — they see a de facto bike lane with the occasional parked car.
Downtown parking is balkanized across lots and “reserved for” signs. “Do not leave the premises” signs threaten the tow truck. This degrades walkability. There won’t be a walkable connection between the coming Stratford Garden beer garden parking lot and the Broaddale lot for fears of people parking on one lot and patronizing the other business – how dare you walk 100 yards, not drive, for a beer after getting a haircut. Sure, the spot in front of Starbucks or Northside is probably full as you read this but parking is often empty a block away. Counterintuitively, that parking spot in front becomes less valuable as our businesses grow – if it’s always full and more customers come anyway, is it that valuable? On one of the busiest days downtown, Memorial Day, we prohibit parking on Park Ave. and Little Falls St. and still host thousands of people.
We need some parking, not too much. Is “Come to Falls Church for the parking lots” our pitch? Or do we want to be a city famous for its great community, pleasant and vibrant streets, and awesome local businesses (worth walking a block for)? Could the empty asphalt for parking become bike lanes for kids to safely get exercise and confidence on the way to school, trees that are pleasant to walk beneath, or businesses whose prices don’t need to cover building parking spots at over $25,000 each?

-Andrew Olesen