Martinez, CA
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Background
The City completed a parking study for Downtown Martinez in June 2022. The Martinez Downtown Parking Study provides an in-depth assessment of downtown parking within the study area bound by Berrellesa Street, Susanna Street, Grandview Avenue, and Marina Vista Avenue. The Study recommends short and long-term strategies to: (1) reduce overall parking demand; (2) shift parking demand toward underutilized modes; and (3) keep parking availability at acceptable levels.
The Study found that the Downtown parking demand did not meet or surpass the availability of on-street and off-street parking. In 2019, before commuting changed due to the pandemic, parking utilization was below optimal peak-hour levels for the mid-day peak period. On average, more than 1,100 out of 3,040 off-street and on-street parking spaces remained available. Notably, on-street parking utilization for both unmetered and metered spaces remained at 50% utilization. Off-street lots operated on average at 87% utilization during the peak weekday.
As we continue to navigate living through the undulations of the pandemic, the City has not seen its parking demand swing back to pre-COVID-19 levels. The Study team conducted an analysis looking at data from September 2021 which showed that on-street parking utilization, for both unmetered and metered spaces, was about 45% (a five percentage-point reduction from 2018). This suggests that during the weekday peak, demand went down and on average, about 1,220 out of 3,040 off-street and on-street parking spaces were available. Moreover, parking utilization for off-street lots also declined. As of September 2021, the off-street parking utilization rate was 70% during the weekday peak.
The continued availability of parking spaces suggests that that adding to the existing supply is not needed; however, there are parking corridors that are more popular due to their proximity to amenities and services. Individual blocks of Ferry Street, Main Street, Ward Street, and Green Street were also over 95% utilized, particularly east of Alhambra Creek.
Key Recommendations
The Study's key recommendations include the following:
- Adjust parking rates and limits along the most popular streets in Downtown;
- Deploy innovative technologies as City replaces its parking meters;
- Continue to expand City policies that support the use of parklets;
- Improve parking wayfinding to guide drivers to "right-fit" parking options;
- Improve the pedestrian experience by replacing sidewalks, providing access across driveways, installing curb extensions (or bulb-outs), and expanding pedestrian-oriented light fixtures; and
- Expand bike and micro-mobility infrastructure amenities.
For more detailed recommendations, please see Chapter 6 of the Study. The City anticipates implementing the study recommendations through updates to its Capital Improvement Program (CIP).