East Hampton Village has been seeking the right parking formula for decades, since the 1960s at minimum, and it’s clear we as a community have yet to settle on the right set of solutions. At present — at least according to some shopkeepers — the village parking situation really is not ideal.
The village board is considering the possibility of increasing the one-hour parking on Newtown Lane and Main Street to two hours, pending a general survey of businesspeople, and to ease the evening cutoff to 5 p.m. rather than 7, to allow parkers to eat dinner in peace, make it through a movie, or even do both. Tinkering with the time code isn’t exactly a new topic in Village Hall, and we, like the business owners we have talked to, are not yet sure: Will lengthening the time limit help or hurt? Key to this decision should be the whether or not “turnover” is a high priority and a desirable goal.
Among business owners on Main Street and Newtown Lane, opinions seem split. Some are most seriously disheartened by the howls of misery they hear each workday from day trippers and newcomers who complain that the signage regulations aren’t clear enough — and who leave town carrying not shopping bags but parking tickets with a whopping $180 penalty. These shop managers say the two-hour limit is worth a try, especially if it reduces the number of out-of-town shoppers leaving angry. Other shopkeepers, reliant on the quick-errand trade, worry an extension to two hours might be the final nail in the coffin, because there won’t be enough turnover.
Perhaps instead of going back to square one, we might take some bolder steps and seek the wisdom and advice of one of the gurus of municipal parking science, a professor at U.C.L.A. named Donald Shoup, author of “The High Cost of Free Parking.” In the Shoup model, Main Street, Newtown Lane, and the northern end of the Reutershan lot — where customers come to run speedy errands and pop quickly into shops — would actually have the shortest time limits, not longer ones, to facilitate turnover. These in-demand, high-turnover spots would have limits as short as 30 minutes, as some now do. The main lots would be zoned (possibly with color-coded asphalt lines for improved clarity) for escalating time allotments: an hour, two hours, four hours. . . . This wouldn’t be an “everyone pays” model. The shorter-term spots would remain free, while those who want to park longest would have to pay escalating prices for the privilege.
Meanwhile, it’s time to start a discussion around cultural change, too. Pressure for spots in East Hampton’s commercial district is intense, necessitating strict patrolling by traffic control officers, a dynamic that casts a malaise over drivers’ intentions to simply pop into town to pick up a croissant and a bottle of wine. It’s not anyone’s fault, but we have eased into a “gotcha!” culture in which T.C.O.s catch and fine scofflaws and many visitors feel they’ve walked into a trap. From what shopkeepers tell us, this creates a bummer of an atmosphere.
We propose employing “parking ambassadors” or “parking ushers” instead. Train and pay the seasonal staff to facilitate parking and explain the rules: “This way, ma’am, to the long-term lot!”
And dare we venture to say the words “public parking valet”? Putting on a wizard hat of prognostication, we predict it could happen within the decade. The world might laugh at us, but, hey, well, it might also be nice to toss the keys to someone else.