Additional parking leads to more cars & more traffic

Hoboken has been dubbed the “Miracle Mile.” It is a densely-populated mile-square urban area that is eminently walkable whether for shopping, eating out or recreation. Hoboken, more than any other New Jersey city, enjoys easy access to mass transit. Sixty-eight percent of the city’s workforce takes public transportation or walks to work. From Hoboken, New York City is just five minutes away via ferry and ten minutes via the PATH train or bus. The sleek Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system provides transport to Jersey City and Bayonne to the south and Weehawken, Union City and North Bergen to the north.

In Hoboken, 34 percent of households have no car. Only one-quarter of Hoboken workers drive to work, compared to three-quarters of all New Jersey residents. Being car-less in Hoboken is not such a problem for there are many alternatives available for rentals including Zipcars. And now an Uber or Lyft driver is easily summoned via one’s smartphone.

Yet, one of the biggest complaints of Hoboken residents is the difficulty of finding a parking spot on the street, preferably in front of one’s house. In response to these complaints, most developments are required by the local zoning code to provide one off-street parking space for each dwelling unit. As Hoboken has continued to grow and develop, the number of cars has grown as well. The percent of households with a car has grown steadily. With parking provided within one’s building, one can drive without fear of losing a parking spot. The result can be seen on Hoboken’s streets: more parking means more cars and thus, more traffic.

For Hoboken residents who drive to work in their cars, rush-hour delays and gridlock are increasingly common. There are limited means of ingress and egress at both ends of town. To the south, there is traffic at the Holland Tunnel and to the north, the Lincoln Tunnel. The intensive development of New Jersey’s Hudson River waterfront from Jersey City all the way up to Fort Lee has made traffic woes worsen. The good news is that the difficulties in driving and parking provide a strong incentive to walk and use mass transit.

In Manhattan, one of the developers of the 17.4 million square foot Hudson Yards project claims it is the largest private real estate development projects in American history. When completed, it will consist of 5,000 housing units, five office towers, an entertainment venue and a massive retail center. According to a March 2015 article in Politico, the developers are not required to provide for parking and so far, have built a limited number of off-street parking spaces. In the article, the authors write: “That anything of this scale—and built near the Lincoln Tunnel and the West Side Highway—would eschew parking in this way is a clear testament to how much New York City has changed. As public transit options expand, and millennials continue to skew trends away from car ownership, the necessity for buildings to supply parking is dwindling.”

The City of New York’s parking requirements are currently being overhauled. In the Politico article, Juliette Michaelson, a vice president at the Regional Plan Association, states, “These rules are from a time when people thought it was the government’s role to encourage driving. In a time when we have a huge demand for housing, but are trying to reduce driving and therefore parking, eliminating a minimum parking requirement could be a big deal.” Last year, the City of New York reduced parking requirements throughout the City for market, affordable and senior housing. Further reductions may be undertaken within designated “transit zones.”