The United States Has To Much Parking

The United States has a parking problem. We have too much of it, and it's costing us in a number of ways. If you live in a big city you're probably wondering how can this be. People who live in big cities are usually complaining about not having enough parking. What they're really complaining about is not enough free parking because there's plenty of paid parking available. In this article we will examine this issue. 

How much parking do we have?

It's hard to say for sure, but estimates put the number of parking spaces in the US at anywhere from 700 million to 2 billion. That's more than six spaces for every registered car in the country.

Where is all this parking?

Most of it is in urban areas. In downtown Los Angeles, for example, there are more parking spaces than there are people. And in many cities, parking lots take up more land than parks.

Why do we have so much parking?

There are a few reasons. One is that we've been conditioned to think that we need a car to get around. Another is that zoning laws in many cities require developers to provide a certain number of parking spaces for new construction.

What are the problems with too much parking?

There are a number of problems with too much parking. For one, it takes up a lot of land. In some cities, parking lots make up more than a quarter of the land area. This land could be used for other things, like housing, parks, or businesses.

Too much parking also makes cities less walkable and bikeable. When people have to drive everywhere, they're less likely to get exercise and more likely to be exposed to air pollution.

What can we do about it?

There are a number of things we can do to reduce the amount of parking in the US. One is to change zoning laws so that developers aren't required to provide as many parking spaces. Another is to make it easier for people to walk, bike, and take public transportation.

We can also start to think about parking differently. We don't need to have a parking space for every car. We can share parking spaces, or we can use on demand parking services.

The future of parking

The future of parking is changing. As more people choose to walk, bike, and take public transportation, the demand for parking will decrease. We'll need to start thinking about parking differently, and we'll need to make changes to our cities to make them more walkable and bikeable.

The good news is that we're already starting to see this happen. Cities like San Francisco and New York are reducing the amount of parking they require, and they're investing in infrastructure for walking, biking, and public transportation.

As we move into the future, we need to be mindful of the amount of parking we have. We need to make sure that we're using our land wisely, and that we're creating cities that are healthy and sustainable. Your Thoughts Readers....