LADOT Parking Report
Organizational and Operational Review of Parking
at the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation
Andrea d’Amato
December 30, 2006
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY i
I. INTRODUCTION 1
Background of the Parking Study
Parking Study Objectives
Approach to the Analysis
Organization of the Parking Report
II. ROLE OF PARKING POLICY & MANAGEMENT 8
IN LADOT ORGANIZATION
Parking Policy: Issues for Consideration
Parking Management Challenges: Implications for LADOT’s Organization & Operations
Opportunities for Change
III. LADOT PARKING MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION 16
Inter- Relationships of City Agencies and LADOT: the View from the Outside
Issues and Findings: LADOT External Review
Recommendations and Other Opportunities
LADOT Organizational Structure
Issues and Findings: LADOT’s Management of Parking Operations
Proposed Re- Organization of LADOT with an OPM
Summary
IV. STRATEGIC PLAN: LADOT PARKING OPERATIONS 50
Broader Challenges: The Balancing Act
LADOT Parking Management Operations: Challenges and Opportunities
Review of Select LADOT Parking Programs
The Special Parking Revenue Fund
Parking Meter Policy & Technology
Parking Facilities
Preferential Parking Programs
Valet Parking
Other On- Street Parking Regulations
Summary
IV. FUTURE CHALLENGES 79
Action Plan
V. REFERENCES 83
TECHNICAL APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Acronyms
Appendix 2: General Manager’s Parking Resource Team and LADOT Staff Team
Appendix 3: Critical Questions Guiding Parking Policy
Appendix 4: Parking Policy Goals
LADOT Parking Report 1 Andrea d’Amato
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This section presents major findings and conclusions reached at the end of the interviews, site
visits, and review of selected documents. This information was presented to the General
Manager ( GM) and the team during the fall of 2006. The major issues and the specific concerns
raised regarding the organizational structure as well as the management of critical parking
operations are as follows: Special Parking Revenue Fund ( SPRF), meter policy and technology,
parking facilities, preferential parking program, valet parking, and select on- street parking
regulations.
Themes identified by GM for an internal and external review of Parking Policy,
Organization, and Management of Critical Parking Operations
• Leadership and direction on the development of
parking policy
• Delineation of city- wide goals and priorities for
parking
• Communication and coordination within Los
Angeles Department of Transportation ( LADOT)
and among key city agencies and stakeholders
• Consistent and reliable accounting and reporting
procedures
• Resources to support new strategies and tools to
manage parking
The City of Los Angeles has new leadership at the Mayoral, City Council, and Transportation
Commissioner levels with a priority focus on transportation. New appointments to the City
agencies responsible for land use and transportation allow for a new approach to redefining
parking policy and the management of parking operations to effectively manage
changes in the City.
Like other major urban centers, the City of Los Angeles is experiencing a movement back to the
city to live, work, and recreate. As a result, the City is facing growing pressure to revitalize its
economic centers and residential communities. As a major commercial center, the City needs to
develop an integrated transportation network that can safely and efficiently accommodate users
with diverse needs at both local and regional levels. These goals require that the transportation
network be able to:
• manage and reduce congestion;
• promote economic development for commercial and residential growth; and,
• invest in the transportation network to promote
transit opportunities to enable that growth.
Parking is critical in achieving these objectives because the supply and demand for parking is
derived from policies on land use development and alternate modes of travel available or
promoted.
This new growth and demand for access to the City, requires a new focus on managing a
transportation network, providing alternative mobility options, and managing parking resources in
coordination with other city agency initiatives. Parking does not operate in isolation.
The Parking Study identified issues and opportunities for LADOT to provide more direction and
leadership to shape policy and deliver parking solutions to the City of Los Angeles. Specifically,
LADOT needs an organization dedicated to leading and managing parking policy. Their parking
management programs should be clear and simple in their intent, focused on the managing the
use— not the user.
The City of Los Angeles and its agency
managers are on the cusp of change
and have a unique opportunity to meet
these challenges with new partnerships
and creative approaches to
collaborative parking policy.
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Findings and Recommendations
1. Parking policy is becoming an important focus in city land use and transportation
goals, but requires more planning, education, and integration with the
management of parking operations. Many city agencies are promulgating ordinances
and programs for land development that will have an effect on ( and be affected by) the
management of supply and demand for parking.
2. A coordinated approach to parking policy is essential to address the conflicting
priorities of: land use and transportation planning, city- wide versus district needs,
and the promotion of alternative transportation options. LADOT is well positioned to
lead a City Coordinating Committee of city agency managers to more effectively develop
parking policy solutions to meet the City’s goals for: reduced traffic congestion, higher
use of transit, better access for economic development, and increased revenue.
3. Leadership and direction on Parking Policy is highly variable and focused on
meeting different operational objectives in each agency. Each agency has a
different orientation to parking priorities and geographical focus. Few agencies
understand the operations of multiple modes in the transportation network at both the
local and regional levels and, therefore, few understand the relationship between parking
and congestion management. Of the agencies interviewed, only LADOT has a street
focus whereas, Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles ( CRA), Department
of City Planning for the City of Los Angeles ( DCP), and the General Services Department
( GSD) are land- side oriented. Yet, parking policy and operations has a direct effect on
the operations of the transportation network and the two must be considered together.
4. There is a leadership vacuum for parking policy in the City of Los Angeles. The
2003 re- organization of LADOT, which removed the Office of Parking Management and
decentralized parking functions, created a vacuum in leadership on parking at the
Department and in the City. New parking leadership at LADOT and the addition of a
Public Information Director ( PID) will allow for the development of an education and
marketing campaign. This campaign will help gain the necessary input into parking policy
and the operations of programs as well as to implement new strategies and creative tools
for parking management from key stakeholders and the public. A new office for parking,
the PID, along with the liaison to the Mayor’s Office and City Council, will enable
stronger, more reliable communications on parking policy and operations at the city policy
level.
5. Changes in LADOT organizational structure over the years diminished its role in
parking policy and its ability to effectively coordinate and communicate parking
operations both internally and externally. A re- organization of LADOT with a
dedicated focus on parking will address many external and internal issues related to the
coordination and communication on parking policy and management of parking
operations. It will also enable the successful development of policy, and integrate parking
management operations into the planning and development of new regulations and
ordinances to achieve city- wide land use and transportation goals.
6. The management of parking operations in LADOT is reactive, disjointed, user-focused,
district- oriented, and overly complicated. The increase in demand for
District services and lack of a coordinating organization at LADOT has resulted in many
confusing programs that compromise city- wide objectives. Each parking program and
strategy should be simple and user- friendly. Using LADOT’s transportation and parking
resources, new tools to equitably address demand must be developed with a coordinated
approach.
7. Parking supply is decreasing. As pressure to accommodate growth and to service the
diverse and competitive access needs of a variety of user groups, less land is available
for off- street parking and more pressure is placed at the curb to accommodate new and
LADOT Parking Report 3 Andrea d’Amato
overflow demand. LADOT will need to re- evaluate the use of available supply of parking
assets both on- and off- street parking to maximize the capacity of existing resources
more efficiently and effectively. Managing new demand for parking will require more
creative regulations, off- street parking supply, the promotion of access, high and safe
turn- over at the curb, and full utilization of parking facilities.
8. Lack of a coordinated focus on parking management at LADOT has resulted in less
accountability, poor response to demands, more district focused operations, and
unreliable reporting on parking operations. It is essential to re- organize parking at
LADOT to effective coordinate and integrate parking policy with parking management.
The addition of a new Office of Parking Management & Traffic Control, Public Information
Director, Planning & Policy Division, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, District
Parking Operations staffing, and Procurement and Contract Management Division in OFA
for dual oversight of contracts will achieve more accountable, city- wide performance.
9. Planning capacity is limited at LADOT and is currently focused on the
development- side at the project level. Additional staff and an LADOT organization
structure for planning and parking policy is needed to address city- wide issues.
The creation of a Planning & Policy Division and an Office of Parking Management
( OPM) will allow for better internal and external coordination on a city- wide transportation
plan and the development and review of parking policies and programs.
10. The new OPM must develop a comprehensive approach to parking management
with clear goals and objectives. The OPM needs to fully assess the current location,
use, pricing, and intent of all its on- and off- street parking assets. It will need to balance
the competing demands for parking against the decreasing supply of parking resources.
The management of parking needs to be comprehensive, flexible, simple, and
accountable to the public, as it involves the use of the “ public” right- of- way and facilities.
It needs to be adaptable to change in order to address the growing needs of the City
while also managing District- specific needs in a complementary manner. LADOT will
need to review the intent and strategies for critical parking programs, operations, and
tools in order to simplify the purpose, better deliver the service, more efficiently manage
parking operations, and insure compliance with broader land use and transportation
objectives.
11. SPRF lacks reliable data for program expenditures and is increasingly District-oriented,
compromising efforts to meet city- wide objectives. A new organizational
structure for parking, new parking meters, and centralized data for finance and
administrative oversight, will address many internal issues. LADOT should consider the
retention of a reputable firm to conduct an independent management review of the SPRF
to achieve city- wide goals.
12. Parking meter policy is uncoordinated between on- and off- street parking assets.
The location, supply, and pricing of both the on- and off- street parking operations
requires critical coordination to reduce congestion, provide access, and increase
utilization and revenue. The rates of meters are significantly lower than cities of
comparable size with shorter hours of operation despite the growth and use of
commercial areas in Los Angeles. Rates should be increased across the City providing
some improvements in turn- over at the curb and adjusted as the need arises. In the
majority of locations, meters should have a short- term time limit with a 2- hour maximum,
but not to exceed 4- hours city- wide. If long- term curb parking is desired due to lack of
adjacent off- street parking facilities, meters should be replaced with signs, to reduce
operational costs.
13. Current parking meter technology is unable to meet the demands for operational
performance and to optimize efficient use of on- and off- street parking supply. As
soon as possible LADOT should replace single- space meters with new meters devices,
LADOT Parking Report 4 Andrea d’Amato
apply new rates and a new time structure upon implementation. New multi- space meters
should be installed in off- street facilities first to test the inter- operational performance.
The on- street multi- space meters should consider both “ pay- by- space” and “ pay and
display” options. The new meter technology should reduce the number and type of hand-held
devices, thereby improving data collection, reporting, and analysis. LADOT should
implement a web- based information system of the location, pricing, and occupancy of off-and
on- street meters to improve public access, reduce congestion, and increase
revenue.
14. Off- Street Parking facilities are under- utilized and under pressure to respond to
demand without sufficient resources or guidance. Central coordination of the
operations of off- and on- street parking under OPM will address many operational
concerns. The re- structuring of rates, hours of operation, and permitted uses requires
close coordination with on- street parking policy and with the Office of Transportation
Operations.
• All parking lots should be regulated for turn- over consistent with the supply and
demand of the area.
• Free lots should be programmed to service a public purpose and regulated and
enforced accordingly.
• Free short- term parking should be eliminated at off- street facilities and impose a
fee consistent with the on- street meter supply and other parking programs in the
areas.
• Implement new technology for meters and operated facilities to improve utilization,
accounting, reporting, and revenue.
• LADOT should implement both an on- street Way- Finding signage program and a
web- based information on the location and hours of operation for all parking
facilities immediately to promote utilization.
15. The Preferential Parking Program ( PPP) is too accommodating, diminishing its
effectiveness to manage demand. A modification to the new Rules & Procedures is
suggested to further simplify the purpose and intent of the PPP. The PPP should be
renamed a “ Resident Parking Program” to address the needs of residential users.
Temporary PPPs should be eliminated as they provide a means to bypass an important
review process for use of the public right- of- way without a clear purpose. LADOT should
use other programs to address parking issues related to teachers, or resulting from
construction, media, etc., instead of a residential permit program.
16. Valet operations are increasing on the streets of Los Angeles without either a City
or LADOT policy to guide the management. The proliferation of valet operations using
“ passenger loading” areas, marquees on sidewalks, and the new DCP proposed
“ community valet service” will require a coordinated approach to valet operations with a
clear policy for LADOT to direct and manage its parking operations.
17. Further review of on- street parking regulations is necessary to more effectively
manage increasing demand to use the curb. As demand to access the curb increases,
so too does the need for stronger regulations of curb parking and enforcement to ensure
compliance with those regulations. Commercial access may need to be refined and utilize
different technology. All government vehicles should be ticketed similar to the commercial
fleet program, leaving the management of those employees to their individual
departments and not LADOT. All placard programs should be eliminated due to the high
costs of managing fraud. With new regulations, meter technology, and tighter use of curb
( less red zones), enforcement should issue multiple tickets to ensure turn- over and
compliance with regulation. This will provide more short- term parking, and reduce
vandalism and abuse of curb parking.
LADOT Parking Report 5 Andrea d’Amato
Action Plan
Based on the findings of the Parking Study, the following actions should be taken:
􀂾 Re- organize LADOT to create an Office of Parking Management ( OPM), Public
Information Director ( PID), and Planning & Policy Division all reporting to the GM, and
create a Procurement and Contract Management Division in OFA.
􀂾 Establish a formal meeting structure at the GM and Assistant General Manager ( AGM)
level to ensure critical elements of the reorganization are effectively implemented. The
recommended LADOT re- organization is at a high- level of management and the AGM’s
will need to work out the important details to coordinate District operations. The meeting
structure will need to formalize communications with Bureau Chiefs and well as with the
higher level planning and educational efforts.
􀂾 In conjunction with the Mayor’s Office and City Council, LADOT’s GM should establish
and lead a City Coordinating Committee with city agencies. This committee should work
on critical transportation and parking policies, ordinances, and regulations city- wide prior
to implementation to ensure adequate integration of district and city- wide goals and
management of parking operations to support those policies.
􀂾 The AGM of OPM, along with the GM, should review the Strategic Plan and identify
priorities for implementation and areas for further research. The AGM should also:
􀂃 organize an approach with the GM and Planning & Policy unit to respond
immediately to new and modified parking ordinances;
􀂃 coordinate the Parking & Smart Growth Study under the Office of Transportation
Development ( OTD) to effectively guide immediate decisions on off- street
parking facilities;
􀂃 accelerate the implementation of new single and multi- space meter devices
along with new regulations for hours of operations and rate structures;
􀂃 finalize the Rules and Procedures for the PPP;
􀂃 work with the Office of Transportation Operations ( OTO) on immediate changes
to on- street parking regulations for better management of the curb in coordination
with location, use, and supply of adjacent parking facilities; and,
􀂃 work with the GM’s city coordinating committee on a policy for valet parking.
Future Challenges
The re- organization of LADOT will have consequences on current staffing and create the need for
additional resources to be considered during this year’s budget process. Organizational details
will need to be addressed by the AGMs in each office as this Parking Report recommends only
high management level changes. The new recommended divisions will require additional staffing
including but not limited to: planning, policy managers, operations, and administration. There will
be a need for new equipment for on- and off- street parking operations and data management
systems. Additional funding is also necessary to support the education, marketing, and outreach
strategies to engage the public and stakeholders in the development of parking management
programs and the city- wide transportation plan.
The recommended restructuring of LADOT was unanimously embraced by those interviewed.
The excellent staff at LADOT is looking forward to being on the forefront of new changes to the
city’s transportation network, parking policy, and management of parking operations. The GM’s
new appointments bring in a new perspective and energy to guide these new changes.
A final and important note: The aforementioned changes will take time. LADOT needs to restructure,
re- staff, and re- engage critical stakeholders in the new approaches being considered. To effectively
educate and market new ideas, tools, and strategies for the transportation plan and parking policies,
considerable meeting time with the public and policy officials is required. The new leadership in the City,
in the agencies, and in LADOT supports the input of the public and stakeholders in charting the future for
the City. The result— solid and reliable programs and services— is worth the time.
LADOT Parking Report 1 Andrea d’Amato
INTRODUCTION
LADOT Parking Report 2 Andrea d’Amato
Context
The City of Los Angeles ( the City) is facing many challenges in managing parking and recognizes
the importance of promoting alternative modes to access the transportation network. The City is
in a time of transition: it has blossomed and grown in the age of the automobile and affordable
gasoline and its roadway networks, facilities, and commercial and residential communities were
designed for rubber tire vehicles. Parking programs functioned to support the automobile with
large blocks, wide roadways, and free and cheap access to on- and off- street parking.
New leadership in the City recognizes the need to be more supportive of transit and promote
pedestrian activity. This transition will involve fundamental changes to the City transportation
infrastructure and culture including:
• a re- orientation and education of the benefits ( time and health) of transit;
• physical changes in the infrastructure to accommodate multiple modes and access to
new transit services;
• financial incentives to promote transit over parking;
• and the promulgation of consistent city- wide policies promoting non- auto use in the City.
This new vision and orientation to transportation has a dramatic impact on the roles and
responsibilities of Los Angeles Department of Transportation ( LADOT).
The City of Los Angeles has many Departments and Agencies engaged in parking policy and
parking activities; all with different obligations and priorities. As each agency faces different
challenges respective of their missions ( economic development, residential revitalization, or
transit), demand for parking increases, and pressure on LADOT to effectively manage parking
supply increases as well.
LADOT is a large and complex organization,
responsible for supporting the City’s goals and
delivering a myriad of transportation services. It is
tasked with responding to diverse and often
competing demands for different services:
transit/ rail, freight, commercial ( loading and
customer), residential, bicycle, and pedestrian.
And, LADOT must address both local and
regional needs to access the City’s transportation
network and balance district parking with city- wide
objectives.
LADOT has an excellent staff with a passion for innovation and leadership. Over the past few
years, however, staff has lost sufficient resources, strong internal leadership and guidance, and
partnerships to sustain a focus on parking. There is unanimous support to re- establish a parking
organization at LADOT with strong leadership and better collaboration among other agencies to
focus on and market city- wide parking policies.
Background
The GM at LADOT requested a review of the Department’s organizational structure focused on its
role and responsibilities in parking policy, planning, and the management of critical parking
operations. The review includes a Strategic Plan to guide short- term parking policy decisions to
improve critical parking management operations and programs and to serve as a platform for
further dialogue on parking operations.
This request for an Organizational & Operational Review and Strategic Plan for Parking
Management Operations ( Parking Study) began on July 17, 2006. The study followed a number
Parking policies, and subsequent
programs, are integral
components in managing
competing goals for services and
achieving objectives like reducing
congestion and promoting
alternative modes of
transportation.
LADOT Parking Report 3 Andrea d’Amato
of significant organizational changes, personnel appointments, and recent attempts by the City of
Los Angeles and LADOT to examine and improve parking conditions to meet growing demand for
diverse services— some of which are detailed below.
LADOT has experienced fundamental changes in the organizational and functional
operations of parking activities over the last four years.
• Pre- 2003, parking functions were consolidated in the Office of Parking
Management ( OPM).
• Post- 2003, LADOT was re- organized, eliminating OPM and decentralizing
parking functions and operations across 4 other offices with a re- assignment
of many activities to the District level to support a District- focus and
constituent services. The Office of Regulatory Services ( ORS) was created to
replace OPM, preserving only the Adjudication and Enforcement functions of
the previous OPM. All other activities were reassigned to the remaining
Offices of: Transportation Operations ( OTO), Transportation Development
( OTD) and Finance & Administration ( OFA).
• Post- 2003 structural organization de- emphasized the parking activities of the
Department, promoting more district- orientation, performance- based
measures and integration of parking activities with main- stream LADOT
traffic activities.
• Loss of staffing in LADOT, through attrition and unfilled vacancies, combined
with a re- assignment of staff responsibilities with other transportation
programs, resulted in a diluted and diminished focus on parking activities.
Significant leadership changes in the past two years at the City and LADOT levels;
creating strong leadership for city- wide transportation services and a willingness to
change.
• New Mayor and City Council Transportation Committee leadership with a
strong commitment and focus on transportation issues facing the City.
• City Charter Changes in the political structure of the City providing more
leadership authority to the Mayor in the operations of City agencies and
oversight on Department appointments.
• Newly established Board of Transportation Commissioners ( BOTC).
• Newly appointed GM of LADOT and an administrative change in the Charter
that exempts GMs and Assistant General Managers ( AGM) from Civil
Service requirements.
• Vacancies at the AGM level in LADOT created opportunities to hire new a
management team in the currently structured ORS, OFA, and OTD.
• New leadership provided an opportunity to take a fresh look at LADOT and a
re- examine the role of parking and its ability to meet and support larger city
goals for new and changing transportation services.
Increased concerns on LADOT’s ability to address growing demands for parking
services and establish consistent policies and programs to service diverse needs of
the City.
• As the City embarks on new initiatives to manage growing congestion,
promote alternative modes of transportation, and revitalizes its residential
and economic base, there is a need for new strategies and tools to more
effectively manage demand for parking, traffic congestion, and enhance
transit opportunities. LADOT needs to utilize parking assets ( on- and off-street
regulations, meters, lots and facilities) more effectively to achieve
those goals.
• LADOT is not organized to focus on parking management. At this time,
parking activities are decentralized across the agency, subordinate to other
transportation services.
LADOT Parking Report 4 Andrea d’Amato
• Other City agencies have taken the lead on parking policy responding to
different goals and priorities, thereby placing higher demands on, and costs
to, LADOT for new and/ or revised policies, programs and operational
adjustments on city streets with a limited organizational structure to direct,
coordinated and manage those goals.
• The Community Redevelopment Agency ( CRA) launched a study to review
the City’s Peripheral Parking Policy with the goal of promulgating a new
ordinance to better manage demand for land and parking in the downtown
area.
• The City’s General Services Department ( GSD) is taking on more
responsibility in managing and operating nine LADOT parking facilities.
• The Department of City Planning ( DCP), under new leadership, is examining
the zoning requirements for parking and promulgating new ordinances to
address the regionally disparate demands for parking services.
• The City’s Office of the Controller has issued a number of audits, raising
concerns on the organizational and operational capacity of LADOT to
perform its parking management responsibilities.
• LADOT is responding in an ad hoc manner to these significant pressures
through a number of solicitations and policy changes such as meter
technology, off- street parking facilities, PPPs, Parking Meter Zones ( PMZ),
without a clear, consistent, and unified direction.
Parking Study Objectives
Under the direction of GM, Gloria Jeff, the
primary goals of this Parking Study were
to review the current capacity of LADOT’s
organization and operations, in the
context of its internal capacity and
external relationships to manage parking
policy, and to plan and implement critical
parking management operations. The GM
identified the following concerns:
􀃆 Leadership and direction on
parking policy,
􀃆 Communication and coordination of parking policies strategies both internal and external
to LADOT,
􀃆 Reporting and accountability, and
􀃆 Resources to develop a Parking Management Program.
The GM also requested that a Strategic Plan identify key opportunities for organizational and
regulatory changes to enhance parking management programs, operations, and performance.
Scope
• Conduct a high- level management review of the organization of LADOT’s parking
functions both as it is currently organized and as it functioned under an Office of Parking
Management ( pre- 2003).
• Understand the Goals & Objectives of the City and its agencies engaged in parking
activities ( GSD, CRA, and DCP) and their relationship to LADOT’s guiding principles in
parking management and associated activities; financial incentives to promote transit
over parking.
• Assess LADOT’s and the City’s priorities and goals for transportation and how parking
can meet those objectives. Identify key principles guiding the development of policy,
programs, regulations, and tools for parking management to achieve the key City
transportation priorities.
General Manager, Gloria Jeff,
recognized the need to capitalize on
new leadership in order to clarify and
coordinate parking policy with the
management of parking operations at
LADOT.
LADOT Parking Report 5 Andrea d’Amato
• Evaluate the operations of critical parking programs and regulations intended to address
current and future parking demands.
• In that context, conduct a preliminary, general review of specific programs such as
Special Parking Revenue Fund ( SPRF), Meter Policy & Technology, Off- Street Parking
Facilities, Preferential Parking Programs ( PPP), Valet Parking, and select other On- Street
Programs.
Purpose of Parking Study
• The purpose of this Study is exclusively focused on reviewing the parking functions at a
high management level of the organization and its parking operations, commencing July
17, 2006. As such, it did not conduct a detailed review of the operations, staffing, and
funding of the full organizational structure, nor did it conduct a detailed analysis of
individual programs, operations and regulatory mechanisms. The Parking Study’s intent
is to serve as a guide for future actions and strategy for the new AGMs and GM to
pursue.
• The intent was not to solve LADOT’s or the City’s parking problems, rather it was to
identify issues with the current ability of LADOT to manage diverse and interdependent
parking activities and its ability to respond programmatically to new and existing demands
for city- wide services.
• Based on the assumption that parking is a critical function in providing transportation
services to meet growing demands to better manage congestion, economic development,
residential opportunities and transit priorities, the study recommends a top- level re-structuring
of the LADOT to provide a clear focus on parking management and raise
questions to guide decisions and further analysis of critical parking programs, operations,
regulations, and tools.
• The Parking Study provides a platform for the new leadership at LADOT, in coordination
with key AGM appointments, to examine the lower- level organization, staffing, and
funding of parking activities, and therefore, further investigate the viability of existing and
tools to manage parking operations. The Strategic Plan outlines opportunities to
strengthen the operations of key parking policies, regulations, and the management of
select parking operations. It suggests stronger measures to manage both the supply and
demand of parking assets.
• An assessment of the existing organizational and operational structure of parking was
only one facet of this study. A review of the relationship between LADOT and city
agencies currently engaged in parking policy was an important pre- cursor to review
LADOT’s internal structure. An evaluation of the mechanisms needed to coordinate
critical parking policy, ordinances, regulations, and strategies to meet broader city- wide
goals was deemed an essential objective along with the City’s potential to effectively
meet future challenges.
• The Strategic Plan outlines areas for further research and offer suggestions to improve
the management of the supply and demand of parking assets, focused on a sample of
programs, such as the SPRF, Meters Policy & Technology, Off- Street Parking Facilities,
PPPs, Valet Parking, and select On- Street Parking Operations.
LADOT Parking Report 6 Andrea d’Amato
Approach to the
Analysis
The primary methods used in
the analysis included a
review of pertinent
documents, interviews with
high- level stakeholders, and
selected site visits to view
LADOT parking operations in
the field.
Review of Relevant Documents
Goal: Review all relevant documents on past and present parking activities to better understand
the context and goals for parking in the City of Los Angeles. This review included the following
reports, detailing major functions, issues, and opportunities.
• Recent studies on parking activities, recent parking- related ordinances, and
transportation plans conducted outside LADOT ( CRA report, City’s Transportation Plan,
Municipal Code, etc.).
• Review of parking in other select cities ( e. g., Pasadena, Seattle, Boston, etc.).
• All relevant reports and audits from LADOT and the Office of the Controller regarding
organizational changes, meters, off- street parking facilities, and the SPRF.
• Organizational charts, descriptions and profiles of LADOT functions and select parking
programs both pre- and post- 2003.
• LADOT manuals, regulations and procedures documents.
• Reports and Procedures of Parking Functions within the major offices at LADOT:
- Administration & Finance— Response to Audits, SPRF, IT and Meter
Investigations and Collections;
- Transportation Development— Parking Facilities and Land Use and Planning
- Transportation Operations— Rules and Regulations ( as it pertains to parking
activities only, District Programs such as Preferential Parking, On- Street
meter and parking signage programs, Technology; and,
- Regulatory Services— Parking Enforcement and Traffic Control, Adjudication
and Parking Violations Bureau.
Interviews with Key Stakeholders
Goal: Review the current and past orientation of the organization of parking management in
LADOT from the perspective of City’s leadership and policy agencies, and LADOT former and
current management staff. The specific goals of interviews with each stakeholder are outlined
below:
• Interviews with Key Management, Agency, and Policy Level Professionals engaged in
LADOT parking activities.
- Policy Level [ City of Los Angeles Deputy Mayor for Transportation, Chair of
the Council Transportation Committee, Chief Legislative Analyst ( CLA), and
the City Administrative Office ( CAO), Board of Transportation Commissioners
( BOTC)]: to understand the vision; goals and objectives; city- wide issues;
operational demands for enforcement, operations ( meters, user- programs)
parking facilities, policy & planning, engineering, and constituent services;
and relationship with LADOT.
- Agency Level ( CRA, GDS, and DCP): The focus of the City Agency
interviews was to speak with those agencies actively engaged in parking
policy and not in project delivery functions. The interviews identified the role
and activities of these agencies in city parking operations, interface with
LADOT is in a unique position to make extraordinary
changes in its approach to parking management in
order to meet current and new demands for services.
The Parking Report identifies opportunities for
changes in the orientation of LADOT toward parking
management, and provides a platform for further
analysis of specific programs.
LADOT Parking Report 7 Andrea d’Amato
LADOT, priorities for parking operations and management, district
orientation, and opportunities for collaboration with LADOT.
- Former Management of LADOT: rationale and operations of parking
organization at LADOT pre- 2003; coordination and communication within
LADOT and with other agencies; management of key parking operations,
and critical issues and demands at that time.
- Current Management Structure: assess current role and functions at top
management level; parking activities roles and functions as currently
organized; interface with LADOT staff and with outside agencies; district and
city- wide response to demands; development, implementation and
management of current and new parking programs; and major challenges
and opportunities.
Site Visits
Goal: Evaluate the operations and inter- relationship of parking activities and programs in their
operating context as well as to fact- check findings from interviews with actual observations in the
field.
• District Operations – engineering, enforcement, and constituent services,
• On- Street Operations – inter- relationship between residential parking programs, parking
lots/ facilities, meters, loading, valet, taxis, transit, and peak- hour regulations in their on-street
operating context,
• Relationship of parking assets between on- and off- street operations, and
• Meter collections, investigations, security, repairs, and testing.
Organization of the Parking Report
The report is organized as follows:
• Examination of the role of parking policy in LADOT organizational structure and
operations. Inter- agency roles and relationships and opportunities for stronger
partnerships to achieve City transportation goals and objectives.
• A detailed review of the LADOT organizational structure and recommendations for
change. Examination of leadership, vision, goals and objectives, communication and
coordination of parking management activities/ functions.
• A Strategic Plan for LADOT Parking Management of Operations, identification of areas
for the further research and investigation of new tools to manage parking.
• Recommendations for Further Consideration.
The Technical Appendices include the following:
Appendix 1: Acronyms
Appendix 2: GM’s Parking Resource Team and LADOT Staff Team
Appendix 3: Critical Questions Guiding Parking Policy
Appendix 4: Parking Policy Goals: Implications for the Management of Parking Operations
LADOT Parking Report 8 Andrea d’Amato
ROLE OF PARKING POLICY & MANAGEMENT
IN LADOT ORGANIZATION
LADOT Parking Report 9 Andrea d’Amato
Introduction
Central cities across the country are experiencing a re- growth of both population and economic
activity. As all modes converge in urban centers, transportation infrastructure and policy must
address new and growing demands in a sustainable, safe manner. These growth trends are
causing a shift in priorities around the role of parking in transportation policy.
To manage these changing trends effectively, a coordination mechanism at the city- level among
all city agencies engaged in parking policy and programs is deemed essential. The coordinating
body will need to develop a common approach to designing appropriate regulations and
ordinances on parking that achieve broader city goals and objectives, for which LADOT, with the
expertise in transportation should be the lead.
This section will outline some recent trends that impact urban transportation systems, its
implications for parking policy, and LADOT’s organizational capacity to manage parking supply
and demand.
Parking Policy: Issues for Consideration
Over the last two decades, cities have experienced a rebirth. Populations are returning to cities to
live, work, and recreate. Much of this movement is promoted by rising fuel costs, decreasing
willingness to commute long distances,
retirees returning to the city for ease and
convenience, and technological
advancements allowing more people to work
from home. Cities are facing a growing
pressure to revitalized economic centers and
residential communities. As vehicle ownership
rates increase along with the size of vehicles,
local and regional networks face increased
challenges to manage transportation
resources effectively.
Fundamental to the success of this growth is the development of an integrated transportation
network that is able to connect and address the needs of a diverse group of users in a safe,
reliable manner.
These urban growth trends place pressure on the use of parking assets that are limited in supply,
as the curb cannot expand and land for parking facilities is often sold for development.
Consequently, cities are changing their approach to, and strategies for, managing parking assets
and alternative mobility opportunities. Demands by multiple users have elevated the importance
to:
• more intensively manage curb parking;
• develop creative programs to use off- street parking facilities and lots in coordination with
on- street parking regulations;
• examine the cost of parking in the context of transit services to effectively address the
diverse local and regional needs for commercial growth, residential areas and visiting
populations; and
• safely accommodate bicycle and pedestrian access.
Transportation agencies are at the forefront of managing these changes. They are examining not
only their organization and operational structures to respond to these trends, but also the pricing
of their assets and the technical “ tool box” of parking management strategies to optimize the
economic opportunities, safe and easy access, and the promotion of viable transit options.
Similarly, city planning and transit agencies are examining their policies and tools for directing
development and responding to parking demands. The location of new commercial or residential
There is growing recognition of the
critical role parking plays in the
viability of different land uses and
managing access needs through the
design and operations of the
transportation network.
LADOT Parking Report 10 Andrea d’Amato
development is profoundly dependent upon a well integrated transportation network and parking
management strategies to provide safe access for a variety of users. 1
Parking policy and programs are, therefore, at the forefront of managing these changes in city
goals. As demand to access curb for multiple users and off- street facilities rises, the supply of
those assets decline. Supply is further impacted by the rising cost of land in cities and the
conversion of parking for high land uses such as revitalization of commercial and residential
areas.
These demands on land use and transportation assets require strong coordination among city
agencies. Parking is often cited as a critical factor in determining the success of development
( e. g., airports/ ports/ transit, economic revitalization, tourist destinations, residential development,
etc.) and yet, it is often
undervalued in terms of
the planning and pricing.
As a result, parking is too
often relegated to a
secondary consideration
or, worse, dealt with as
an afterthought. Lack of
well- considered
accessibility needs by
different users can
undermine the success of
residential and
commercial enterprises,
increase congestion, and
diminish the quality of life
and experience of travel. Removal of parking, changes in zoning limiting parking and location of
re- development opportunities, all affect the functions of city- streets, increasing demand,
decreasing supply and exacerbating congestion.
Principles Guiding Public Policy for Parking
As the role of parking has changed in policy and operation, and user demands increase in
breadth and diversity of need, it is critical to re- examine LADOT’s organizational ability to manage
that public asset. In defining the goals and objectives of parking and the role transportation plays
in achieving and managing those goals, it is important that parking passes the test for servicing
the public and managing access to the public right- of- way. This is especially important as
availability for parking decreases with increasing demand. It is also important to recognize that:
• public parking is not a “ right” but a “ privilege;”
• the dynamics of cities are constantly changing and therefore the shape and form of
parking needs to be flexible;
• parking needs to respond to both local and regional concerns; and,
• parking policy, regulations, and programs must be transparent and user- friendly to a
diverse group of users because there is a charge for these services and a penalty for
noncompliance.
1 It is important to note that many cities lack the infrastructure and authority necessary to support the growing demands for mobility, sufficient space
and programs for parking, and an integrated transit system to provide viable alternatives. Although city transportation agencies traditionally manage
on- street parking, off- street parking can be directly managed by cities or private companies. Transit services vary across the country and where there
is an urban network for transit, it is often managed by regional authorities or independent agencies. LADOT manages over 118 parking lots and
operates the City’s rapid bus service, known as DASH. LADOT also interfaces with the Metropolitan Transit Authority for a host of other transit
services provided by MTA.
The time has passed when parking plays a passive
and responsive role in planning and managing the
City’s transportation network. Parking assets are
limited in supply and growing in demand. The
traditional benefit of parking— to support the
growing revenue needs of cities— is becoming
secondary to the need to accommodate
development and rising demand of the public for
safe and easy access.
LADOT Parking Report 11 Andrea d’Amato
Driving Forces Shaping Parking Policy
With growing complexity in demands for parking services in combination with the new tools,
technologies, and strategies used to manage parking, it is important to evaluate the pressures
that affect parking decisions.
• Parking is personal and passionate.
• Everyone is an expert.
• Parking is a revenue generator. The management of parking assets has traditionally
been viewed as a critical revenue source to support city services. The pricing of the
assets ( meters, permits, facilities, and lots) combined with enforcement of critical access
and safety regulations, typically generates significant revenue to the City’s General
Funds.
• Parking has financial impacts on the public. Users are required to pay for parking
services ( curb/ meters, lots, and facilities) and for noncompliance with parking regulations
( ticket and tow). It has cost of development, and a cost to LADOT in terms of
administration and managing effects on streets when not enough parking is allowed or
provided in off- street facilities.
• The role of LADOT is to manage the public’s right in the context of competing demands.
• Important access and safety considerations affect and are affected by many other
services. Parking must address competing and often conflicting demands/ needs and
balance interests in the context of the “ public’s right.” Furthermore, transportation and
parking must accommodate local and regional access needs.
• Careful planning and evaluation of supply and the tools available to manage parking
assets is required. Specific parking allowances, programs, and regulations at one
location have an effect on circulation and supply in the adjacent block, neighborhood, and
area.
• Policies must have a flexible design given the dynamic conditions that characterize the
political, economic, and social urban environment.
• Education is a cornerstone of any parking policy or program and as such, requires
significant and continuous efforts to educate users on the trade- offs and effects on other
areas/ users in the system. Policies and programs needs evaluation post- implementation
to better understand the results and successes.
• A declaration of top priorities is critical for both the public and for city agencies
engaged in parking. Clear city- wide goals and objectives guiding parking policy and the
rationale for local concessions are necessary, especially when there is a financial cost to
the service. Clarity of city agency roles in parking policy allows for more cost- effective
ordinances and strategies to achieve those goals.
Five basic principles guide the development of policy and serve as a “ reality- test” for any program
aimed at promoting or penalizing a particular use. Parking has many faces and, therefore, needs
to meet The FASES test.
• Fairness – policies and programs need to first address the general “ public good/ purpose”
and “ benefits test” then, to address specific needs. Because any policy or program will
have effects beyond the immediate service area, parking policy needs to balance local
and regional demands, as well as consider the unique needs of local user groups. If a
LADOT Parking Report 12 Andrea d’Amato
program is designed for one user group, then what are the effects on others and how are
they mitigated or accommodated?
• Access – parking needs to be optimize for and manage: a) local access to curb space
and utilization of facilities/ lots, and b) broader regional circulation needs for multiple users
and effectively minimizing parking impacts on congestion and quality of life concerns.
• Safety – policies, regulations and programs need to protect the public. Curb- side use
needs to be integrated in the use of the right- of- way from access ( bus to pedestrian
crossings, fire access, minimize double parking, etc.) and facilities to safe design for
lighting, controls and egress in to the right- of- way.
• Equity – balancing competing interests and servicing the needs of those without the
means or resources. Is the program limiting any rights and if so, then how are those
without “ the means” to access being considered ( e. g., elderly, disabled, teens,
immigrants, etc.)?
• Simplicity – the personal nature of parking, with multiple users, requires that policy and
programs have a simple and clear purpose that is easily understood by the public and
managed by LADOT accordingly.
Dynamic Nature of Parking Policy
• Parking Policy has to address both
the “ squeaky wheel” and the under-served
populations.
• Parking has a direct financial cost
to the public. The public has to pay
for rights to access through use of
meters, by obtaining permits
( residential, monthly passes,
commercial access, etc.), and by facing financial penalties for noncompliance ( tickets and
tow charges). As such, developing and managing Parking Policy requires a strong
organization to plan for appropriate regulations to manage parking access, installation, and
maintenance of those regulations as well as a clear and consistent approach to
enforcement. Clear guidance in that policy and its subsequent regulations are critical for
managing a safe and financially accountable system.
• Parking policy affects ( and is affected by) a number of different transportation
decisions. Transit facilities, modes, and routing are affected by the location of
parking facilities and regulations of curb space. Conversely, parking facilities and
curb affect the utilization of parking and efficiency of operations. Setting clear
priorities among the different players and stakeholders is critical. Coordination of
programs in the context of local and regional demands will determine the success of
those priorities and goals.
• Parking Policy is a fundamental determinant of ( and determined by) land use
decisions. Historic buildings pose challenges for on- street service with limited space
for creating off- street access for commercial use ( loading, customer, and employee)
and residential ( servicing). New development offers unique opportunities to manage
user access needs while preserving ( and not adversely affecting) the public needs for
circulation and safety on the right- of- way. For example, the design of facilities can
include off- street loading, taxi, and valet needs. Footprints can be designed to
manage different user access to minimize impact on the curb and congestion,
Parking policy serves many masters— it
is influenced by many decision- makers
who are not necessarily engaged in
managing parking operations as a
primary role.
LADOT Parking Report 13 Andrea d’Amato
thereby allowing more pedestrian activity and use of curb for transit. Currently,
buildings are designed with parking as an afterthought. As a result, these needs are
relegated to LADOT to find solutions in the public- right- of- way for curb regulations
and user privileges. This requires a re- examination of zoning, development review,
and parking policies.
• Parking policy needs to account for daily and seasonal changes in demands. Peak
hour and commuter travel, weekend recreation and leisure time, and seasonal
changes for both summer and winter activities.
Critical Questions Guiding Decisions on Policy
In responding to these changing trends in demands, cities need to assess their priorities for
intervention and management. City agencies need to use their tools and authority collectively.
Unclear policy direction and competing priorities are confusing to the public and costly to
administer. The following questions guide critical parking policy decisions.
What are the primary purposes of parking policy? What are the City’s top priorities? Why
is it important? How are those priorities managed by different city agencies?
• Congestion management
• Access management
• Revenue growth
• Promote transit
What is considered to be the parking supply ( public and private)? Is it sufficient to meet
demand?
• Location, pricing, programming, accessibility ( identifiable, restrictive, not public).
• How do city- wide goals manage competing demand for parking? How is the need to turn-over
at the curb for commercial use balanced with the need to restrict use of the curb for
travel for transit managed? What are those effects on pricing and rates of parking assets
( meters and off- street parking facilities)?
• What is the role of city agencies in influencing the use of private parking assets to
achieve broader public goals ( ordinances, regulations, permits, etc.)?
What are the tools available to plan, test and measure performance?
• How reliable is the data available to plan and measure operations of parking assets?
• How effective are the tools ( regulations, technology, etc.) used to achieve the outcomes
( parking meter rates too low, need more flexibility in zoning, flexible options to use
facilities and curb with the concept of “ sharing” spaces, etc.)?
Who is parking intended to serve? Is it a protection? Is it an incentive?
• Local residents ( auto- dependent versus transit dependent, population segments: elderly,
teenagers, immigrants, disabled)
• Commuting public ( peak- hour, transit)
• Working public ( employees, government, etc.)
• Commercial – loading, customer, ( taxi, valet, delivery)
• Industry – truck, rail, and water access
• Institutions – medical ( ambulances), universities, students
LADOT Parking Report 14 Andrea d’Amato
Parking Management Challenges: Implications for LADOT Organization
and Operations
The City of Los Angeles is experiencing significant changes that challenge its current political,
economic, and cultural orientation toward parking. The downtown is growing and needs to
accommodate both economic and residential development with limited space in a sustainable
manner. The City’s population base is expanding and the need to promote a variety of different
types of housing has to be supported. The City’s Districts demand a high quality of life and ease
of travel. Transit is becoming more important as the cost of automobile travel rises, demands for
better quality of life and improved environmental conditions become higher, and transit dependent
populations grow.
Implications of Parking Policy Choices on Parking Management Operations
As there are many city agencies in Los Angeles involved in parking, it is critical that all have the
same end- goal. Clear communication of parking policy priorities directly affects the ability of
agencies to coordinate plans, programs, regulations, and operations in order to avoid costly
impacts on city streets.
The organizational and operational orientation of parking management is driven by larger policy
objectives. As the City is changing its orientation toward land use and transportation, the effects
on the management of parking assets can take a variety of forms. ( Appendix 4 illustrates how
different city priorities impact the operations of parking on city streets and how specific parking
policies impact LADOT parking management activities.) It is important to reiterate that the City is
in transition and these policies may take years to implement. Equally important is how these
policies can create operational conflicts and public confusion if they are not clearly communicated
and coordinated. All these competing demands for parking services underscore the importance of
a strong organizational structure at LADOT to manage effective communications and coordinate
all parking- related activities among the various stakeholders and to develop a comprehensive
approach to parking management. 2
A Parking Management Program can meet these challenges with a strong internal organization
focused on parking, development of partnerships around common City goals, and an effective
planning, education, and marketing strategy. Well- designed parking supply at the curb,
coordinated with location of facilities, can benefit business development, improve safety, promote
transit, decrease congestion, and improve the quality of life ( ease of travel and access, less
pollution, and attractive streetscapes). Managing demand for parking is dynamic and requires
well- designed curb and facility parking that includes: fine and fee structure ( to promote transit and
other alternatives), allocation of short- and long- term parking to support local user needs, careful
use of curb for specified priority users ( meters, loading, passenger, taxi, transit), and employee
subsidies and parking alternatives ( public and private).
2 See Appendix 4 for a more detailed illustration of how different city- wide policy goals impact LADOT parking management operations.
Understanding that current trends affect the management of
parking assets and the critical coordination required to service
growing demands, city transportation agencies need to be
organized, positioned to be proactive, responsive, and well-coordinated
in the planning and implementation of city- wide
parking goals, policies, and programs.
LADOT Parking Report 15 Andrea d’Amato
Opportunities for Change
The organization and operations of parking management in Los Angeles has traditionally
functioned to provide inexpensive and easy access for users, and a source of revenue to support
those functions and other important public service needs ( e. g., housing, economic development,
schools). New and growing residential, commercial, retail, entertainment demands have
substantially altered the orientation of priorities for parking management.
Further, the rise in population and corresponding high demand for improved quality of life, calls
for a need to explore new and creative mobility options beyond the automobile. Meanwhile, sound
parking management requires strong partnerships between LADOT and other city agencies
engaged in parking policy. Coordination among the agencies involved in developing and
managing parking policy is essential to meet city- wide goals to reduce congestion, promote use
of transit, and to encourage economic and residential development.
There is broad recognition that parking: 1) plays an increasingly important role in land use and
transportation policy and programs; 2) needs strong leadership; and, 3) requires new tools and
strategies to achieve city- wide goals. City agencies need LADOT expertise and guidance in
developing sound approaches to economic development and city officials need LADOT’s
expertise in managing a local and regional transportation network to develop fiscally sound and
operational efficient programs and services, for which LADOT is uniquely positioned to respond.
The next section will outline opportunities to strengthen LADOT organization, meet these
challenges, and develop stronger partnerships among city agencies to better coordinate key
policies and programs relative to parking management operations.
LADOT Parking Report 16 Andrea d’Amato
LADOT PARKING MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION
LADOT Parking Report 17 Andrea d’Amato
Introduction
The City of Los Angeles is well positioned to face the challenges of new growth and to address
the complex parking management issue that faces all major cities in the nation. The City has
made the commitment to identify and implement alternative solutions to managing congestion, to
invest in the infrastructure necessary to provide transit alternatives, and expressed a willingness
to tackle the City’s strong orient-ation
and dependence on the
automobile.
The change in focus is reflected in
the new political structure and
leadership. Mayor Villaraigosa was
elected on a platform of
transportation, and a strong
transportation voice on the City
Council, Council Member Wendy Greuel, was appointed to chair the City Council Transportation
Committee. The Mayor appointed new members to the LADOT’s Board of Transportation
Commissioners and a new GM and Directors were appointed to lead the City’s Transportation
and Planning agencies, respectively.
Under this new leadership, there is a remarkable consensus that change is needed in the City’s
approach to parking management. The political focus on transportation and the realignment of
City agencies to respond to pressing demands for more diverse and innovative approaches to
traffic and parking issues is evident not only in the public statements by officials, but also in the
many new directives devoted to these issues. It is clear that parking can no longer function in a
secondary role. There needs to be a dedicated organizational focus on parking at LADOT.
Parking policy and management strategies need to be innovative and responsive to the growing
and often competitive demands for services. It is imperative that parking policy integrate the land-side
objectives with the operations of the street network. Despite the continued pressure to view
parking exclusively as a revenue- generator necessary to support the many City services, there is
an interest in looking at ways to use that revenue to support other parking and transportation-related
programs.
Although, there is a fundamental shift in the view of parking management and its pivotal role in
land use and transportation policy, it is unclear what the various roles, responsibilities, and
priorities for change should be among the City agencies and how that can be effectively
coordinated. City agencies, mostly land- side oriented, develop parking policy in isolation without
an understanding of how it impacts the use of the curb and the street network.
All parties interviewed both inside and outside of LADOT, cited increased problems with the
organization since the 2003 re- organization of LADOT ( which removed parking as a major
function of the Department). The issues cited include: unclear delineation of roles and
responsibilities for parking assets; inconsistency in managing operational performance of assets
and programs; loss of leadership in the City and in LADOT on important parking policy questions
and demands for services; and diminished accountability of financial controls, contracts, and
operational performance.
This Parking Study is in direct response
to the LADOT GM’s recognition of the
important role parking plays in
addressing congestion relief and
expanded transit access. To that end,
LADOT’s GM understood the need to
examine not only the current
organizational structure and operations
of parking in the Department to meet
The City recognizes the need to invest in
the appropriate transportation
infrastructure in order to support new
growth and to ensure the City’s accessibility
in a sustainable manner.
The new appointments at LADOT and
other city agencies) allows for a new focus
on parking and a basis for new City
partnerships to develop a more unified
and coordinated approach to parking
management policies.
LADOT Parking Report 18 Andrea d’Amato
those challenges but also to foster and strengthen the partnerships in the City to be successful in
their collective endeavors.
The first part of this section will outline LADOT’s parking management structure, specifically its
current ability to coordinate, communicate, manage, and respond to these new changes from
both and “ inside” and “ outside” perspectives. It will further describe the dominant issues and
findings relative to the inter- relationships with LADOT and other key stakeholders, and provide
recommendations to modify approaches to strengthen partnerships. The second part of this
section will focus on the ability of the current LADOT internal organizational structure to address
parking with recommendations for necessary adjustments at the top level of management.
The issues and findings were determined through a review of relevant public documents and
interviews. The findings summarized below represent a noteworthy degree of consensus from
managers interviewed inside and outside of LADOT.
• Clarity of roles and responsibilities is critical.
• Clearly delineated priorities for parking at the city- wide and district levels are essential.
• Strong partnerships to address growing, conflicting demands will enable more effective
solutions and programs.
• LADOT has to restructure its organization with a stronger focus on addressing the city’s
growing demands for parking management.
• LADOT needs to re- examine its parking management strategies and tools for more
creative approaches to balancing competing demands and conflicting priorities.
• More public outreach to the leadership and education on the issues is important.
After 2003, there were many audits conducted on LADOT parking organization and operations by
both LADOT staff and the Office of the City Controller. The audits identify issues and findings
related to the 2003 re- organization of the Department which removed the Office of Parking
Management, operations of the Special Parking Revenue Fund, meter technology and policy and
the operations of a number of LADOT’s off- street parking facilities.
Inter- relationships of City Agencies and LADOT: The View from Outside
At the Mayoral level, there have been a number of City Charter amendments that now provide a
stronger mayoral role with LADOT focused on city- wide parking objectives. These changes
require traffic and parking to address city- wide issues and opportunities facing the City of Los
Angeles and consequently, LADOT. As the only city agency managing the entire transportation
network in the districts, the City, and the region, LADOT is responsible for not only the traffic and
parking operations, but also the transit, taxi, freight, and other key franchise operations.
The City has 15 City Council districts which interface with LADOT on specific district parking
activities, responding to each jurisdiction's needs. The Chief Legislative Analyst ( CLA) and City
Administrative Office ( CAO) interact primarily and on behalf of City Council to direct many City
Council budgetary and program concerns directly to LADOT. The CAO has a dual reporting
function to the City Council and the Mayor’s Office.
Currently, many entities make decisions relative to parking policy which direct and impact parking
operations, including, but not limited to: the Mayor’s office, City Council, BOTC, CRA, DCP and
GSD. The city agencies currently engaged in parking policy and management programs are the
GSD, CRA, and DCP. GSD, in coordination with LADOT, plays a central role in the management
of off- street parking facilities operations, setting rates, and issuing permits for use of 9 parking
facilities. CRA and DCP are currently drafting ordinances related to parking management given
their responsibilities to provide land use decisions related to both economic and residential
growth opportunities in select areas of the City. The Department of Public Works ( DPW) interacts
closely with LADOT on parking service delivery programs. For the purposes of understanding the
LADOT Parking Report 19 Andrea d’Amato
organizational structure of parking at LADOT, this study focused only on those City Agencies that
share parking policy and promulgate ordinances that impact the management of parking policy. 3
3 The operational interface between DPW and LADOT is complex and would require a more in- depth review of functions and interviews on the design,
construction, permitting, and the regulatory role of each Department, which is beyond the scope of this study. The relationship between the two
Departments is centered on project delivery services. A review of DPW is, however, recommended for further analysis given its impacts on parking
facilities, regulations and permitting, and the fundamental inter- dependence of these functions on the operations and programs at LADOT.
Mayor &
City Council
DCP
CRA GSD
DPW
LADOT
LADOT Parking Report 20 Andrea d’Amato
The BOTC has seven members, appointed by the Mayor, whose role as it relates to parking is
stated as:
“… Responsible for managing the Special Parking Revenue Fund. The Board also must
approve all Department- initiated amendments to the Municipal Code. The Board
generally serves in an advisory capacity to the General Manager.” 4
The following section draws from documents and interviews5 examining the City’s vision, goals for
parking management, and the roles various leaders play in their relationship with LADOT on
parking policy and management. The dominant themes of the review were focused on
coordination, communication, management, and accountability necessary for a coherent, unified
approach to parking management and the sharing of resources for effective development of
policies and programs to meet city- wide goals.
Issues and Findings: Review of LADOT from Outside Agencies
A number of documents identified during the course of the Parking Study demonstrated the
erosion of LADOT’s focus on parking management as well as reinforced the City’s changing view
of the role of parking in land use and transportation policy. It is apparent by the unanimous
response during the interviews that change in LADOT’s organizational structure is imperative for
more effective partnerships on important parking policies.
Documents Reviewed – Major Themes
Over the past two years, the Office of the Controller and LADOT conducted a number of audits of
LADOT parking- related functions:
• The impacts of the 2003 re- organization that eliminated the OPM;
• Parking meter collections and the meter shop;
• Contract performance for off- street parking facilities for both Parking Concepts and Five-
Star Parking;
• The contractor for the Parking Violations Bureau, commonly referred to as ACS; and
• The performance of the SPRF.
These audits all identify weaknesses in LADOT’s organizational structure to manage, coordinate,
report, and account for critical parking operations and, in fact, identifies a strong relationship
between the 2003 re- organization and the decentralization of decentralizing parking functions,
with a loss of leadership on parking issues.
More recently, with the increased investment
in the downtown and concerns on how parking
can manage that growth, the CRA retained a
consultant, Wilbur Smith, to review the City’s
downtown Parking Management Ordinance
“ Preferential Parking Policy” and to
recommend a new parking ordinance to guide
development of critical economic and
residential opportunities for the downtown
commercial district. The Peripheral Parking
Policy is different from the Preferential Parking
Program. The latter is in essence a resident parking program. The Peripheral Parking Policy,
adopted by CRA 1981, is focused on downtown commercial parking issues. The intent of the
policy was to limit impacts of anticipated commercial office development in the Downtown area.
The philosophy was to restrict the amount of parking available on site and allow the use of
“ peripheral” off- street parking facilities outside the designated Downtown traffic impact zone to be
linked by shuttle and transit to downtown destinations. The policy was never tested due to
4 Description of LADOT BOTC is taken directly from LADOT web site, City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation.
5 See Appendix 2 General Manager’s Resource Team Member List.
Many city agencies and officials are
responding to diverse, growing and
often competing demands for
parking services, resulting in an ad
hoc development of parking policies
and programs that are locally
based— compromising city- wide
LADOT Parking Report 21 Andrea d’Amato
changes in the economic situation which arrested many new proposed commercial opportunities. 6
Now with new growth in service, retail, and entertainment sectors in the Downtown, CRA is
looking to amend this Policy and be more responsive to new demands for parking which are more
short- term and location sensitive.
The DCP is also promulgating a number of new ordinances to respond to the increased demand
for parking resulting from increased pressure to provide more housing and revitalize many
commercial districts. DCP is currently evaluating the City’s zoning practice as it relates to parking
and drafting the City’s General Plan which has a chapter devoted to transportation. Finally, DCP
is wrestling with the City’s current zoning and parking requirements, placing great challenges on
the ability of historic or pedestrian- scaled commercial areas to be competitive due to the current
zoning requirements for parking supply.
These actions reflect the growing importance to develop a unified strategic approach to managing
parking resources. The interviews provide more detail on the struggles and opportunities to work
collaboratively to achieve those goals.
Dominant Themes Articulated by City Officials and Agencies
The agencies identified by the GM for
review, included the Mayor’s office, the
Chair of the City Council Transportation
Committee, select members of the
BOTC, Managers/ Directors at CAO,
CLA, GSD, CRA, and DCP. Also, as
the intent of the research was to
examine the ability of the current
LADOT organization to respond to new
directions and demands for parking, former managers of LADOT were also interviewed in order to
understand roles and relationships when the Department was organized with a focus on parking.
Through the course of the interviews a few dominant themes emerged.
• The City of Los Angeles is facing rising pressure to meet competing demands for parking
resources, at both the local ( economic development and residential growth) and regional
( for transit, freight, taxi, commercial, and commuter needs) levels. As demand for parking
increases, there is growing pressure on the use and access of this limited resource.
• Parking plays a stronger role in effectively directing and managing land use and
transportation policy. It has to address competing demands for access by multiple users
while also decreasing congestion.
• Parking policy needs to serve growing and changing needs of the City of Los Angeles,
and LADOT needs respond to demands for a myriad of services and to meet the needs
of a diverse and often competitive stakeholders.
• There is a functional disconnect between parking policy and the management of parking
operations, as well as between city- wide and district objectives.
• Many City Agencies are involved in developing policies for parking and serving different
constituent needs and priorities, while LADOT is ultimately responsible for managing
parking assets and traffic safety, city- wide. A coordinated city approach to parking policy
6 Wilbur Smith & Associates for the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles. 2006, CRA, Wilber Smith & Associates study “ Los Angeles
Downtown Parking Management Implementation Project.”
There is a functional disconnect between
parking policy and management of
parking operations, as well as between
city- wide and district objectives.
LADOT Parking Report 22 Andrea d’Amato
and management is critical to the success of many new city initiatives aimed to sustain
and further develop the City’s economic and residential base.
• A strong parking organization at LADOT is essential to meet the growing the changing
demands for land use and transportation services in the City of Los Angeles and to
further develop strong partnerships with all stakeholders for the development and
implementation of effective policies and programs.
A detailed discussion of the salient findings is summarized below.
Coordinated Approach to Parking Policy and Management
All stakeholders interviewed cited growing conflicts among differing parking policy objectives due
to increased pressure for economic development and promotion of transit in order to decrease
congestion and improve the City’s accessibility and quality of life. The following issues outline the
central points of agreement.
Conflicting Land Use and
Transportation Priorities.
Agencies are focused on achieving
their goals that tend to have
stronger land use priorities, with
transportation and parking
functioning as a secondary
consideration. As pressure to use land for higher economic and residential purposes increases,
parking is taking a pivotal role in negotiations and location considerations. Conflicts are emerging
as land used for parking presents opportunities for site- or district- specific development while the
needs to provide appropriate access, primarily by car and truck merge with opportunities for
transit.
• For example, CRA and DCP promulgate parking ordinances and policies as parking is
tied to how much can be built and fundamentally drives land use policy. Parking Policy is
primarily based on how many spaces are needed to support different land use objectives
and development decisions. Parking is an incentive to builders and developers and is
cited as a critical factor in revitalizing commercial areas and in creating needed housing.
• Parking is personal to residents who want protected access to their homes with
protection from cut- through traffic and spill- over commercial and commuter parking. Yet,
the City is also concerned with growing congestion and dependence on the automobile
and calls for parking policy to address both the mobility needs and alternative modes of
transportation.
• Stronger partnerships with agencies and coordination with city leaders is needed to
define the best policy for the planning and use of parking facilities, parking allowances for
residential and commercial development, and the role of parking in Transit Operations
and in Transit- Oriented Development ( TOD) guidelines.
City- Wide versus District Priorities. Agencies are struggling to balance the often competing
needs of the districts for development and parking services with the larger city- wide objectives for
accessibility. City Planners are managing two important changes in Los Angeles: downtown
growth and promotion of transit; each with opposing views on parking supply and managing
demand. There is a need for parking policy and parking management strategies to be flexible to
balance city- wide needs for less congestion, access to alternative modes, and local requirements
for access and service.
• The lack of clarity on the purpose of parking among the agencies and conflicts emerging
at city- wide and district levels, plays out in how each agency views parking to support
City agencies involved in parking are land-side
oriented with different priorities
creating a major disconnect with LADOT’s
management of parking operations and
the City’s transportation network.
LADOT Parking Report 23 Andrea d’Amato
their mission and objectives. DCP recognizes the importance of working closely with
LADOT and MTA on parking policy. Currently, these agencies are responding to inherent
conflicts in demands. For example, MTA supports more parking at transit. Therefore,
TOD policy is divided on parking policy: whether to build more parking to encourage auto
access to transit facilities, or to provide less parking to encourage transit use.
• DCP and CRA are facing conflicting pressures to meet demands for parking as the
downtown needs land for development and new strategies to accommodate parking and
districts are demanding more curb- side and off- street parking supply without
compromising travel time and quality of life. Residents demand protections from elected
officials to preserve their neighborhood from unwanted traffic and parking while
preserving their rights to park their vehicles.
The CRA Study on Peripheral Parking Policy is a good example of why a coordinated approach
to parking policy is essential to manage parking operations on a city- wide basis. The CRA re-evaluation
of the Peripheral Parking Policy is solely focused on improving the accessibility of the
Downtown parking demands to support growth in the service, retail and entertainment industries
that need significant supply of accessible short- term parking. It acknowledges the need for new
tools to address new growth in the Downtown and for a coordinated on- and off- street parking
management approach. The Study further identifies many issues with parking programs, from the
low rate structure, hours of operation for transit and off- street parking facilities, the loss of parking
supply due in the Downtown area, conflicting demands among residents, employees, special
events, etc. Although these issues are prominent in the Downtown, they are not unique to this
area of the City. In fact, many of the issues cited in the Study dominate the Los Angeles
landscape from the local neighborhood commercial areas like Westwood and Larchmont to
commercial corridors such as Melrose Avenue, Wilshire and Colorado Boulevards.
The CRA Study makes a strong case to eliminate the Peripheral Parking Policy and replace it
with more comprehensive parking management strategies focused exclusively on improving
Downtown accessibility. Although accessibility to the Downtown commercial area is a critical city
goal, parking policy needs to address the City’s needs to promote transit and reduce congestion
and therefore needs to consider multiple goals in the approach to manage both supply and
demand for parking resources at a city- wide level.
The Interface between Parking Policy and Parking Management. Often local pressures to
support development create costly parking management response from LADOT if it is not well
coordinated with other agency activities, and if LADOT is not organized for a comprehensive
focus on planning and implementation. In promoting economic revitalization of commercial
districts, policy has to consider abutting residential needs, congestion, and access and
circulation. As agencies develop policy and ordinances for off- street area parking, it directly
affects the on- street activities and LADOT parking management of operations. It is LADOT’s
responsibility to manage those resources. The current practice among city agencies to develop
parking policy without a clear understanding of role of parking management of both on- and off-street
parking assets may result in costly outcomes without a common approach and coordinated
implementation. This is highlighted in a recent action taken to create a parking management pilot
program, described
below:
DCP promulgated
an ordinance that
illustrates the need
for a formal
coordination of
parking policy with
the management of
parking operations.
As new parking programs are implemented in one area,
direct effects are felt on the flow of traffic and demands
for parking in adjacent areas. Therefore, it is critical that
there be a common agreement of the governing
principals for parking policy, and that agencies
coordinate the implementation of those principals with
a unified approach.
LADOT Parking Report 24 Andrea d’Amato
On November 8, 2006, City Council passed an Ordinance to establish a “ Community Parking
Pilot Program” for the Eagle Rock area located along Eagle Rock and Colorado Boulevards. This
Pilot is intended to address the long- standing needs for a new approach to parking management
in an older community of Los Angeles with pedestrian scale commercial businesses. The City’s
current zoning is too restrictive to allow for the revitalization of the commercial area to comply
with necessary parking requirements. The solution was the development of a new strategy to
manage the City’s “ under- utilized” on- and off- street parking supply.
“ The pilot program consists of a Parking Management System that allows owners an
alternative to satisfy their parking requirements off- site through buying into a pool of
parking credits which represent the number of available spaces in city- owned parking lots
and metered and non- metered on- street parking spaces.” 7
The Ordinance also allows the opportunity to add privately owned parking spaces as well as valet
credits in the future.
The Ordinance has a number of interesting features which will challenge LADOT’s parking
management programs and operations:
1. The Parking Credit Pool allows for the inclusion of spaces from both LADOT parking
lots and private lots.
2. The Pool also includes space from the City’s on- street metered and non- metered
spaces.
3. The zoning fees collected from the sales of credits to parking spaces will be deposited
into the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan Community Parking Credits Fund ( Fund).
Although administered jointly by DCP and LADOT, DCP will maintain the master
inventory of parking credits for which the fee is determined and allocated.
4. The fees from the fund can then be used “ for the purpose directly related to parking,
transit, or pedestrian amenities” in the area. 8
5. Phase II of the Ordinance allows for the inclusion of “ valet” spaces yet the City
currently does not have a formal policy to manage, operate, monitor, or enforce valet
services.
Parking Management is under the authority of LADOT and the management of Parking Funds
also falls under the expertise of LADOT and approval of the BOTC. Although staff from LADOT’s
OTD participated with DCP in the development of the inventory and the zoning credit pool, there
was no engagement of staff from the parking operations- side, highlighting the importance of
centralizing parking management under one office in LADOT for both critical internal and external
communication and coordination on parking policy. DCP is responsible for land- side while LADOT
has both land- side and street- side obligations.
It may be necessary to develop a companion ordinance or an amendment that addresses the
need to integrate critical element in parking management of the Pilot Program, and clarify roles
and responsibilities of each agency, to ensure its success and potential application in other areas
of the City. Such an issue, which may require careful consideration not identified in the
Ordinance, is the relationship of the Fund to the SPRF and BOTC. The SPRF, with a formal
approval process by the BOTC, manages all revenues from the parking facilities and requires
specific uses of those funds.
• How the joint administration of the zoning fees and expenditures of the Fund are
administered by both agencies is unclear. How data on parking supply and demand is
accounted for and reported is also unclear.
• How new demand for on- street non- metered spaces due to transit, loading, shared
parking, and handicap parking regulations will interface with the Credit Pool and Fund is
vague.
7 City Parking Ordinances. Office of the City Attorney Report # R06- 0375 “ Draft of Ordinance Amending the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan to
Establish a Community Parking Pilot Program.”
8 Ibid
LADOT Parking Report 25 Andrea d’Amato
• Given the complicated nature of managing both private and public off- street parking
supply, the management of that ordinance might lead to the establishment of a “ parking
authority” to manage the credits, spaces, and valet operations. How LADOT will
interfaces with that entity and coordinates on- street activities, both locally and city- wide is
unclear.
• Finally, LADOT and the City will need to address the appropriate approach to managing
valet parking in order to effectively administer this program in the future.
On a different note, the CRA study on Peripheral Parking Policy for the Downtown area offers
suggestions to create a public/ private entity to manage parking or an alternative to empower sub-areas
and/ or districts to manage and monitor internal parking resources. Clearly, the need for
more proactive management of parking is strongly recognized by many city agencies however,
the interface of LADOT and its responsibility for managing and operating all public parking
resources is not considered in these studies and policies. The creation of new quasi- public or
independent parking authorities will further compromise efforts to coordinate around city- wide
goals and to manage a multi- modal transportation network.
All ordinances related to parking must include LADOT’s expertise and authority in managing
parking, traffic, and transit functions. City agencies developing strategies on parking policy must
include LADOT and review of the LADOT’s BOTC, prior to other agency committee or
commission approvals.
Education is Essential. As these changes in the City’s approach to transportation and
development occur, there is a need for more engagement of LADOT in advising the stakeholders
and educating the public on the city- wide issues as well as the role parking management can
serve in addressing diverse and competing demands. The Mayor’s call for a new city- wide
Transportation Plan provides an excellent opportunity to develop a strong public outreach and
marketing effort from LADOT, gaining input into the process and educating the public on the
broader transportation ( transit, traffic, and parking) issues facing the City.
All parties cited the fact that the City is at a point in time where these pressures require a
coordinated approach based on competing and conflicting demands for parking with common
goals and objectives for parking management.
Organizational Capacity at LADOT
The lack of a strong parking organizational structure at LADOT has adversely affected agencies’
attempts to develop policy, without the appropriate guidance of LADOT parking expertise. That
being said, it is important to note that there was consensus among the parties interviewed that
there is great talent and opportunity at LADOT, however at present, it would need restructuring,
additional resources, a stronger ability to report on parking conditions, and opportunities to
become more effective partners, as noted below.
Resources to Manage Parking Operations. The Department is currently lacking sufficient
staffing, financial resources, and partners to continue its past track record of performance and
visibility to public. Therefore, more investment is needed in LADOT to build better capacity and a
more proactive approach into planning and managing of parking operations throughout the City.
The current disjointed practice among city agencies creates significant
challenges to meet city- wide goals, increases the cost to manage parking
programs and operations, and is confusing the public.
LADOT Parking Report 26 Andrea d’Amato
Staffing
• LADOT has an excellent staff and a reputation for strong and innovative leadership on
policy in the past. Over the last few years, however, due to attrition and unfilled
vacancies, the loss of staff, institutional knowledge, and the decentralized organization of
parking, LADOT has become less effective in managing and coordinating parking policy
and programs. LADOT needs an internal organizational focus on parking, strong
leadership, and better collaboration with other agencies to focus and market critical
parking policy to rebuild that base.
• After the 2003 re- structuring of LADOT, there are no clear lines of leadership or staff to
work with on parking issues and programs. Response to requests are delayed or
inappropriately directed. There is no single voice or identified staff at the Department to
respond to parking requests, significantly hampering reliability of reporting and planning
for parking operations, and thereby increasing the cost of operations and conflicts with
policies.
Integrated Planning and Parking Management
All agencies noted the need for stronger planning in LADOT to effectively implement parking
policy and its companion, parking operations.
• Currently, the only planning occurring at LADOT resides in the OTD Development
Programs and Development Review, focused at the project site- level. With the
restructuring of LADOT, parking was dispersed throughout the organization. As such, city
agencies now work with the development side as this office, as it has a better
understanding of both land use planning and the development process. However, there is
no connection
between OTD and the
parking management
side, now located in
the OTO under
Bureau Chiefs in
many Districts.
Communication and
Coordination: LADOT
Leadership on Key Policies
and Programs
• A common theme cited by all the agencies interviewed was that the 2003 re- structuring of
LADOT dramatically impeded the ability of the CAO, CLA, CRA, and DCP to connect with
the Department’s staff. The lines of communication and coordinating mechanisms were
severed. LADOT should be on the forefront of educating the City Councilors and the
public on the issues of parking and opportunities for change.
• Education is critical to policy reform and the City is lacking that guidance from LADOT
expertise. There needs to be a city- wide set of policies, guidelines, and standards that
support and address diverse stake- holders demands for services.
• There needs to be a coordinated approach to developing a city- wide transportation
strategy to manage growing and competing demands for parking at both the local and
regional levels. LADOT must lead this process.
• LADOT currently functions to fix local parking problems and respond to the desires of
each City Councilor without regard to city- wide goals or impacts. The decentralization of
LADOT parking functions has been at the expense of city- wide policy.
Reporting and Accountability
The lack of reliable data on the performance and operations of LADOT’s parking assets was often
cited as a major impediment to effective planning, coordination, and budgeting. In fact, the CRA
with funding from SPRF, has retained consultant Wilbur Smith and Associates to develop a work
The agencies recognized the unique role LADOT
plays with expertise in managing both the inter-modal
transportation network and public parking
assets, its ability to manage conflicts between land
use and transportation, and city- wide versus district
priorities.
LADOT Parking Report 27 Andrea d’Amato
plan in conjunction with LADOT’s Bureau of Information Systems’ ( BIS) staff to centralize asset
management system to enable accurate accounting of parking assets for better land use planning
in the downtown area9. All those interviewed emphasized the need for the following
improvements in LADOT.
• Transparent and consistent standards for procurement and contract management:
negotiations, monitoring of performance, accounting, reporting, and compliance
mechanisms. There needs to be stronger rules and oversight of contracts to meet city-wide
performance and auditing goals.
• Accurate and reliable reports on parking programs and performance. The Department
needs to provide reliable data and analysis to justify and support the development of new
programs or facilities. Priorities are inconsistent and requests for funds for programs are
not well substantiated or justified.
• More reliable Information Technology ( IT), workflow tracking, and data management tools
to centralize, analyze data, and produce reliable reports and accounting procedures.
There are too many different and disjointed data systems operating in the Department;
severely impacting budgeting and performance measures.
Creative Approaches to the Use of Parking Assets
The changes in the City call for more creative approaches to parking functions and uses of
parking assets ( use of curb/ meters, lots, and facilities) enforcement deployment, accountability of
parking operational performance, and the development of parking programs. There needs to be a
more productive use of existing parking assets: better use of supply, change in structure of
pricing and hours of operation, and new strategies and tools to allow for more flexibility and
higher usage of all parking assets.
The lack of a coordinated parking policy and an organizational structure to better manage parking
programs has adversely impacted programs such as SPRF, transit programs, and the utilization
and management of LADOT’s 118 parking facilities.
Many parking- related ordinances under consideration require a thorough examination of their
effects on city- wide and district concerns prior to approval and implementation. LADOT should
re- examine how special use programs, such as PPP, the Peripheral Parking Policy, meters
technology, and employee parking are able to achieve the city- wide goals. What are the rules and
procedures by which it is implemented? What is the appropriate way to reconcile growing
conflicts among competing demands for on- and off- street parking, prior to adoption by City
Council and Commissions?
New strategies and tools are needed to successfully address: competing demands for limited on-and
off- street supply; revitalization of historic districts; and accommodation for transit
opportunities.
Recommendations and Other Opportunities
There was a consensus that a re- organization of LADOT’s parking management responsibilities
and operations was a necessary first step: A common understanding of priorities to guide parking
goals and parking management objectives among the city agencies would enable the
development of sound ordinances to achieve broader city- wide goals to more effectively manage
access, congestion relief, economic development, and transit opportunities.
9 Wilbur Smith & Associates for the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles. 2006, CRA, Wilber Smith & Associates study “ Los Angeles
Downtown Parking Management Implementation Project.” The City Council ( CF # 03- 2669) approved the transfer of $ 156,114 from the SPRF to the
CRA to fund this " Work Plan". This project is known as the Parking IMS.
LADOT Parking Report 28 Andrea d’Amato
Finally, the City would benefit from LADOT’s expertise to plan and identify new strategies and
tools to address today’s demands and challenges. The integration of planning at LADOT is critical
to provide the fundamental building blocks for improvement. The time is right to embark on an
education and marketing campaign, to not only reinforce existing partnerships but to develop
stronger relationships with the public and key stakeholders both locally and regionally.
Alignment of City Agencies’ Roles in Parking Policy
Coordination among the agencies involved in developing parking policy is essential. There needs
to be clear lines of responsibility on how parking policy is developed and its consequent impacts
on the streets. There needs to be a common understanding of the guiding principles and priorities
for parking policy among all stakeholders. LADOT needs strong partnerships with agencies
engaged in parking policy and there needs to be a full analysis of the implications of those
policies on the public’s response and demands to service the streets.
Any ordinance proposed by other agencies ( CRA or DCP) needs to be thoroughly reviewed by
LADOT and the BOTC, prior to adoption by other Commissions, to ensure the appropriate
parking management coordination with that policy
on city streets.
To address these issues, is will be necessary to
create a structure for cross city agency
communication on parking policies and programs.
Therefore, it is recommended that “ City
Coordinating Committee” be formed, chaired by
LADOT, to review, revise, and approve new
policies.
The importance of having this official organization
of city agencies is best illustrated in by the number of recent ordinances passed and proposed by
DCP and CRA. Notwithstanding the CRA study of Peripheral Parking Policy and DCP’s new
ordinances on Community Parking Pilot Program and Overnight Parking, DCP is also considering
removing or limiting off- street parking allowances for residential development to promote transit.
Parking policy must be integrated with the management of parking operations and the
transportation network. LADOT has to: 1) review transit accessibility and routing, and 2) review
where the cars will go, now that they no longer have off- street options. These policies do not
remove cars but rather shift them onto the public right- of- way to manage, thereby placing more
demands for limited curb space and increasing the costs for LADOT operations as well as to the
public for permits, fees, and fines.
Given the extent of city agency involvement in parking policy and programs and the need for the
integration of parking policy with the management of parking operations at a city- wide level, the
topics for the city coordinating committee would range from broad to specific. The following table
illustrates a number of different topics that could be considered for committee review. It is
important to note that the membership may vary depending on the topic and that the purpose of
the committee is to focus on city- wide issues prior to the development of policy, ordinances,
regulations, or programs.
Establish a City Coordinating
Committee, lead by LADOT,
whose members could include,
but not be limited to: DCP, CRA,
GSD, DPW, Police, and the
Mayors office.
LADOT Parking Report 29 Andrea d’Amato
11
City Coordinating Committee
AGENDA
• Integration of local needs with city- wide
goals
• Mayor’s Initiatives
• Coordination of Commissions
• Parking Element of City Transportation
Plan
• Coordination on Regional Programs
• New or Proposed Parking Ordinances &
Programs
• Special Topics
DISCUSSION
• Reconciliation of the unique attributes and
needs of neighborhoods with city- wide
transportation goals.
• Mayor’s geographic concerns with broader city
objectives
• Coordination of proposed policies, ordinances
and programs with the BOTC
• Inclusion of parking policies, principles and
procedures into Plan
• Congestion, Access Management, Transit for
passenger and goods movement
• MTA, DCP, CRA proposals that impact parking
– integrate with management of parking
operations
• Valet Parking
The new leadership in City of Los Angeles and in many key City Agencies provides a new and
fresh opportunity for change. The coordination on planning and policy has been improved and is
underway between the DCP and LADOT. Both Departments are teaming to update the
transportation section of the City’s General Plan. The GSD maintains a strong and coordinated
relationship with LADOT on the management and operations of key off- street parking facilities.
CRA is also working with LADOT to resolve outstanding policy issues as it relates to important
economic development and housing initiatives. The creation of the City Coordinating
Committee will facilitate all the above efforts as well as provide an important opportunity to
develop a unified city- wide approach on existing and future parking policies and programs.
Partnership Opportunities for LADOT
City Agencies interviewed identified several areas for new or stronger partnerships with LADOT.
DCP
• Develop a common approach to parking policy that includes LADOT leadership and
expertise on the pricing of parking assets and on the functionality of on- street regulations.
• Establish a strong coordinating team within LADOT that includes: parking management
staff with the land use/ development experience to guide the development of sound
parking regulations and ordinances.
GSD
• Will support any effort of LADOT in the planning and implementation of a standardized
way- finding signage program for off- street parking facilities.
• Provide advice, research information on parking rates, and time to more effectively
program the operations of off- street parking lots and facilities and to examine the special
location circumstances that impact the mix of short- term and long- term parking and
monthly parking programs.
• Partner on the design and development of off- street facilities especially as it pertains to
parking equipment specifications for operated facilities.
LADOT Parking Report 30 Andrea d’Amato
CRA
• Work toward a solution to downtown parking programs such as the Peripheral Parking
Program to enable development and better use of LADOT parking lots and facilities.
Other Considerations
The loss of planning expertise has impeded LADOT’s efforts to either initiate or respond
effectively parking demands and City goals.
• Restructure LADOT to enable a better integration on parking policy, planning, and
management of parking operations.
• Establish a Division of Planning and Policy that is a direct report to LADOT’s GM. This
Division could include staff expertise on parking policy, traffic engineer, transit, and
goods movement.
• Invest in LADOT’s staff and technology resources to improve critical planning,
accounting and reporting functions.
Coordination Approach around Common Policy Goals
• Restructure LADOT for clear communication and coordination on parking policy and
programs under consideration or the jurisdiction of other agencies.
• Develop a coordinating mechanism to affect stronger partnerships with key agencies
involved in parking policy.
• Work closely with Mayor’s office, City Council, and BOTC on key policy and program
initiatives.
Land Use Planning and Transportation
• Organize internal reporting for accurate and timely data needs for agency planning and
policy directives.
• Establish a planning function within LADOT to work with DCP on the transportation
component of the General Plan and to develop, implement, and monitor the performance
of key parking management strategies and programs.
Education and Public Outreach
LADOT would benefit from more public engagement in parking management strategies and tools,
as well as input in the development of the city- wide transportation plan. Similarly, the City would
benefit from LADOT’s expertise to advise and guide the development of both city- wide and district
parking policies and programs. A strong educational and marketing strategy is essential to
meeting the both the City and LADOT’s transportation goals.
• Utilize LADOT’s District structure to develop better outreach to local business and
neighborhood groups.
• Organize a city- wide forum for ideas on parking concerns, issues, and opportunities.
• Develop a series of District forums to engage the public in new LADOT initiatives and
educate on the city- wide concerns for parking management.
LADOT Organizational Structure
In recent years, concerns were raised on the rationale for the 2003 re- organization of LADOT. In
October of 2004, the City of Los Angeles’ Office of the Controller conducted an audit of LADOT’s
2003 re- organization which had eliminated the OPM and reassigned parking function across four
DCP, CRA, and LADOT should use their collective expertise, authority,
and resources to develop and implement parking policy in a
coordinated and harmonious manner.
LADOT Parking Report 31 Andrea d’Amato
other offices. The report notes a number of concerns resulting from the restructuring, most
importantly:
“… impaired coordination and communication among offices tasked with ensuring the
effective and efficient performance across functional areas of parking activities.”
The report further cites that:
“… critical coordination problems resulting from the separation of on- and off- street
parking activities, meter maintenance and security concerns, parking enforcement and
meters; and the impacts of disjointed direction on the use of technology and its impacts
on coin collection, parking meter maintenance, and traffic enforcement.” 10
An examination of the current organizational structure of LADOT’s parking functions revealed a
clear understanding of why those issues emerged. All of the comments cited by outside parties
were reiterated and expanded upon through internal interviews. Parking policy, planning, and the
management of operations, as currently organized, is unable to adequately respond to the
pressing issues at hand in a consistent and coordinated manner is detailed below.
This following will briefly describe how the 2003 re- organization of LADOT impacted the roles and
functions of parking management operations and how it currently functions to manage those
operations. The issues and findings reflect the input from top- level managers at LADOT and the
documents provided by staff. To better understand the nature of the organizational changes,
interviews were also conducted with key former managers at LADOT ( see Appendix 2). As the
focus of the study was only at the high management level, the recommendations will identify
areas for further review and refinement for the new AGM, under the direction of the GM.
Changing Roles and Organization of Parking at LADOT
LADOT is primarily “ responsible for the development of programs and implementation of solutions
to meet the ground transportation
needs of Los Angeles traveling
public and commerce.” 11
The Department has centralized
authority over the conceptual
planning and operations of the
City’s street system and provides
the following services:
• Installs and maintains approximately 4,300 signalized intersections, over 45,000 parking
meters in 77 Parking meter zones, 22,000 marked crosswalks, 1,200 approximate miles
of curb markings ( mostly red zones), and approximately 700,000 regulations signs of
which 350,000 are parking- related;
• Manages 118 off- street facilities and regulates off- street parking, intersection control,
parking enforcement, and provides crossing guards services;
• Regulates taxicabs, ambulances, and other for- hire vehicles;
• Administers provisions of franchises; and
• Plans, implements, and administers the City’s transit programs.
The Department has a current operating budget of almost $ 142.3 million and has a staff of 1,582
full- time employees, 829 part- time crossing guards, and 72 additional part- time employees.
10 City of Los Angeles: Office of the Controller. October 2004. Laura Chick, issued an audit on the City Controller’s Assessment of LADOT Structural
Re- organization.
11 City of Los Angeles- LADOT Annual Report- FY 02- 03.
With a population of almost 4 million in an
area of 465 square miles, LADOT manages
6,500 street miles of roadways and over
40,000 intersections.
LADOT Parking Report 32 Andrea d’Amato
LADOT Organization Prior to 2003
Prior to 2003, LADOT had a dedicated focus on parking policy and management. Parking
operations were largely concentrated in two areas of LADOT, the OPM and Intersection Control,
and the former Office of Organizational Support Services ( OSS), which was organized to support
parking functions in the areas of budgeting, contracting, and reporting functions of LADOT. The
other two offices include the Office of Transportation Programs, and the OTO. The OPM had
three Bureaus: Parking Enforcement and Intersection Control; Parking Regulations and Special
Operations; and Parking Operations Support.
Many of the Offices and Bureaus were physically located in different offices across the City.
LADOT has since consolidated the management of the operations in their new location at
CALTRANS.
Through the interviews with former managers at LADOT, there were a number of key benefits
and weaknesses with that organizational structure.
Benefits of Pre- 2003 LADOT’s Organization
There was a strong leadership team with effective coordination and communication not only
internally but also with key outside agencies and officials. As such, the GM and AGM teams were
able to identify and coordinate activities among all the Offices in LADOT and with outside
agencies.
Bureau of Parking
Regulations &
Special Operations
Bureau of Parking
Operations Support
Bureau of Parking
Enforcement &
Intersection Control
Office of Parking
Management &
Intersection Control
General Manager
LADOT
Parking Enforcement
& Intersection
Control Division
Special Operations
Division
Adjudication
Division
Research &
Compliance Division
Special Traffic
& Emergency
Operation Division On- Street Parking
Program Division
Operations &
Maintenance
New
Development
& Operations
Meter Testing
& Research
Meter Security
Section
2 Units: Collections
& Investigations
Parking Program
& Regulations
( 3 units)
Meter Removal
& Installations
2 units: Repair
& Meter Shop
Meter Pilot
Program
Support
Services
2 units: Meters &
Regulations Support
Off- Street Parking &
Property Ops. Div.
LADOT Pre- October 2003 Organization of OPM
LADOT Parking Report 33 Andrea d’Amato
There was a close working relationship with City Council, CAO, and CLA through centralized
internal structure on LADOT operations and a strong Mayor and City Council liaison position.
Roles and responsibilities of management staff within Offices and Bureaus were clearly defined,
and staff was focused and consistent in their coordination with external stakeholders.
OPM was exclusively devoted to the parking element of LADOT functions; the office was
physically separate and functionally distinct. Their primary responsibilities were meeting revenue
obligations, enhancing access to parking facilities, and addressing critical growing needs to
manage curb regulations to diverse constituent needs. External pressure to increase revenue
while addressing traffic congestion was answered through effective management of parking
operations, under OPM. District staffing was primarily operations- oriented and not engineering
focused. Parking policy was formulated at the AGM level with input from the Districts. Critical
District issues and city- wide issues were brought to AGM level through regular Bureau Chief
meetings.
Specifically, OPM controlled all parking- related functions except sign regulations and the SPRF.
Those functions were shared with two other Offices: OTO and OSS, respectively. They had
authority over parking policy, program development, management of parking operations and
reporting. The main activities of OPM were largely on funding ( SPRF, MTA and city budgets);
accurate reporting of data – operations and programs; reconciling diverse needs ( e. g., TOD,
location and performance of parking facilities); and, the crisis issues at that time - meter failures
and ACS which were at the forefront of press.
The Office of Organizational Support Services ( OSS) supported the financial accounting and
reporting functions of parking management from budgeting, performance of activities and contract
procurement activities. OSS controlled only the reporting functions of the SPRF. OPM provided
the data to OSS and they managed the SPRF accounts, conducted the analysis and reported
back to OPM for review. OSS assisted in trouble- shooting when needed or requested by OPM.
ACS, on the other hand, was under the jurisdiction of OPM. OSS received the data and assisted
in reviewing OPM reports and analyzing implications of the data for OPM to use in the
management of its parking operations.
Weaknesses of the 2003 Organizational Structure
Although communication and coordination were well developed, there were a few areas identified
for improvement.
• Planning. The need for more proactive city- wide planning to assess conditions and
analyze data was a dominant theme. Development review and City Council District
issues directs planning to isolated project or local area issues only. There is a compelling
need to research and develop new and innovated programs to meet new and changing
demands. LADOT has limited planning capacity with lack of staffing, to address city- wide
issues and needs better data and information for benchmarking programs and
performance measures.
• Integration of Technology and Data for Better Planning and Reporting on Performance.
At the core of sound planning and managing the operational performance of LADOT’s
parking assets is: the development of dependable integration of new and dependable
technologies; constant oversight and monitoring of procurement and contract
management; and the integration of IT and asset management systems.
• Curb- Side Management. A few notable issues were identified relative to signage and
coordination with other city- wide parking regulations. Problems occurred with OPM and
OTO with sign regulations, installations and repair given its impact on enforcement and
other critical curb- side on- street parking demands. There was an increase in demand for
curb- side parking for multiple user groups which played havoc on regulations ( peak hour
restrictions, transit priority, passenger and loading priorities, and exemptions for the
LADOT Parking Report 34 Andrea d’Amato
disabled and government vehicles). Growing pressure for special regulations at curb,
further conflicting with existing congestion and access management efforts. Proliferation
of illegal use of placards put a great strain on operational resources, specifically, the
investigation, enforcement and adjudication functions.
• Utilization of parking lots/ facilities. There was a constant need to re- examine the location,
use and pricing of existing lots in terms of meeting parking needs as well as identify
which lots could be leased or sold for other purposes ( housing, parks or use for other
parking- related activities such as emergency operations or staging for film or events).
• Low Rates and Fines for Parking Impeded Performance of Parking Assets. It was
recognized pre- 2003 that the pricing of both on- street and off- street facilities was too low
and out of sync with demand. Fees and Fines were too low to cover costs of operations
and not connected with a city- wide policy for parking management.
• Parking Enforcement needs to play both a parking and traffic role, balancing the
enforcement of critical parking regulations with traffic relief to reduce congestion.
• Obtaining reliable data on the Maintenance and Operations ( M& O) of parking assets
impeded performance measures and planning objectives. OSS had difficulty obtaining
reliable M& O data from OPM.
Suggestions to Consider in a Future LADOT Re- Organization
Based on the experience of former managers and their understanding of the needs for stronger
internal organization and external coordination on parking policy and management, the following
factors were suggested for consideration in rebuilding an OPM at LADOT.
• LADOT needs to be re- organized with a strong and dedicated focus on parking
management to achieve better coordination, more compatible and consistent programs,
and reliable performance of on- and off- street parking operations.
• There needs to be a clear, singular voice on parking policy both internal to LADOT and
external with other agencies. Improved collaboration with CLA and CAO is essential for
more effective programming and realization of parking goals.
• LADOT needs strong partnerships and an education campaign for both city officials and
the public. LADOT should take the lead in educating the public, city agencies, and
officials working in the districts ( CRA, DCP, etc.) and City Council on role of parking
policy and management of city- wide objectives. SPRF plays a strong role in realizing
those objectives to meet those city- wide goals while also highlighting the importance of
District needs and as such needs to be closely coordinated with the BOTC.
• LADOT needs to balance the public’s use of the right- of- way with the local demands.
Planning needs to be at the forefront of guiding the development of parking policy,
programs, and monitoring of program performance.
• The budgeting of expenditures and revenues must be in OFA; they have the financial
expertise. Planning and programming of parking operations should be in OPM.
• There needs to be a consolidated system to account for parking assets and performance
that meets City standards. OFA needs to be able to monitor performance in relation to
financial objections and OPM needs data for operational performance. Investment in the
asset management and tracking systems in LADOT is critical for both planning,
optimizing performance of staff and contracts, and flexibility to address growing diverse
and competing demands for services.
LADOT Parking Report 35 Andrea d’Amato
• Contract Management Procedures need to be re- examined and re- structured. Staff
needs training and coordination within LADOT to ensure consistent and reliable reporting
to protect the City’s interests.
• Audit controls, contract oversight, consistent procurement standards, and contract
management would be improved as a shared responsibility between OFA and OPM to
ensure adequate oversight and comprehensive review for consistent and reliable
reporting and accountability to the public on behalf of LADOT.
LADOT Organization Post- 2003
LADOT was reorganized in 2003, facing strong pressure to:
• address growing congestion,
• be responsive to district concerns,
• integrate development review functions with off- street parking activities,
• promote transit and other modes of access the City, and
• improve benchmarking and performance measures.
To address those concerns, the GM dissolved the OPM and relocated its various functions
throughout the Department; promoting more district- orientation, performance- based measures,
and