Tinsel and Lights
Your downtown streets will probably soon be bedecked to welcome the joy and brightness of the holidays. But that’s not all you need to do to encourage locals to patronize your city’s shops and restaurants. If people don’t have anywhere to park, they aren’t likely to head downtown, no matter how bright and glowing it may be. Wait, you’re thinking. That’s not us. We have plenty of space for people to park. Sounds nice. But can people find the empty parking spots?
Nowhere to Park and Empty Lots
In the city of Eugene, OR, residents grumbled of insufficient parking while the city bemoaned their underused lots. And yes, we’re speaking of the same city. While people kept looking in the same one or two areas that yes, were full, many other lots were ignored despite ample and convenient parking. What the city of Eugene discovered is that simply having parking isn’t enough. Sometimes you need to guide drivers to open parking spots or they won’t find them.
Open Parking Spots Aren’t Enough
While it seems like having open parking spots and interested parkers should be a formula for success, it often isn’t. OpenSpace helps you to connect the dots. It keeps track of how many spots are available in each of your parking lots. That data can be a powerful tool to guide drivers into open parking spots. Data can be displayed on electronic parking signs outside parking lots or at downtown entry points. You can even show drivers where the closest available parking is when the lot they’ve reached is full or near capacity. And with OpenSpace integration, you can share parking availability data on your city’s website and on parking apps so drivers stay informed and ahead of the game.
Hold Off on the Tinsel
Decorating your city’s trees and streetlights definitely helps to get people in the holiday spirit. But OpenSpace helps keep them there. Don’t let drivers get disgruntled and frustrated as they head out to shop, dine, or celebrate. Guide them to open parking spots and let them enjoy the holiday season without the stress of parking. All you need this holiday season is OpenSpace for your city’s lots. And maybe some tinsel.