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City of WhitingPARKING ANALYSIS

December 2010

Whiting LakefrontParking Analysis

January 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS

i

Executive Summary ...............................................................................................3

Purpose ...................................................................................................................9

Study Area ............................................................................................................13

Findings ................................................................................................................17

Parking Inventory ................................................................................. 19

119th Street Parking Inventory ............................................ 19

117th Street Parking Inventory ............................................ 28

Lakefront Park Parking Inventory ...................................... 28

Whihala Beach Parking Inventory ...................................... 29

Signage .................................................................................................. 30

Accessibility (ADA) .............................................................................. 34

Conclusions and Recommendations ................................................................37

119th Street Supply and Demand Management ............................. 39

117th Street Supply and Demand Management ............................. 51

Lakefront Park Supply and Demand Management ......................... 52

Whihala Beach Supply and Demand Management ......................... 57

List of Figures

Figure 1: Parking Study Areas ........................................................................................... 15

Figure 2: 119th Street Parking Totals ................................................................................ 19

Figure 3: 117th Street Parking Totals ................................................................................ 19

Figure 4: Lakefront Park Parking Totals .......................................................................... 19

Figure 5: Whihala Beach Parking Totals .......................................................................... 19

Figure 6: 119th Street Off-Street Parking Totals .............................................................. 19

Figure 7: 119th Street West Parking Inventory Map........................................................ 22

Figure 8: 119th Street East Parking Inventory Map ......................................................... 23

Figure 9: 117th Street Parking Inventory Map .................................................................. 24

Figure 10: Lakefront Park Parking Inventory Map .......................................................... 25

Figure 11: Whihala Beach Parking Inventory Map ......................................................... 26

Figure 12: 117th Street Parking Inventory Chart ............................................................. 28

Figure 13: Lakefront Park Parking Inventory Chart ........................................................ 28

Figure 14: Whihala Beach Parking Inventory Chart ....................................................... 29

Figure 15: 119th Street Accessible Parking Spaces ....................................................... 34

Figure 16: 117th Street Accessible Parking Spaces ....................................................... 34

Figure 17: Lakefront Park Accessible Parking Spaces ................................................. 34

Figure 18: Whihala Beach Accessible Parking Spaces ................................................. 34

Figure 19: ADA Requirements........................................................................................... 35

Figure 20: Retail Parking Demand at 100 Percent Use ................................................. 40

Figure 21: Retail Parking Demand for Effective Parking Supply .................................. 41

Figure 22: Residential Parking Demand at 100 Percent Occupancy .......................... 42

Figure 23: Residential Parking Demand at 90 Percent Occupancy............................. 42

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Whiting Lakefront Parking Analysisii

Figure 24: Effective Parking Supply with Retail and Residential Demand ................. 42

Figure 25: Prime Customer Parking Areas ...................................................................... 44

Figure 26: Time Restricted Parking Areas ....................................................................... 45

Figure 27: Advantages and Disadvantages of Charging for Parking .......................... 47

Figure 28: Restricted Beach Parking Areas .................................................................... 48

Figure 29: 117th Street Wayfinding Signage .................................................................... 52

Figure 30: Lakefront Park Revenue Scenario Map ........................................................ 57

Figure 31: Whihala Beach Wayfinding Signage .............................................................. 58

Acknowledgements

City of Whiting, Mayor

Hon. Joseph M. Stahura

Whiting City Council

Millie Greer Larry Jennings

Chris SarvanidisSteve Spebar

Bruce StolmanRebeca Unate

Kenneth Zubeck

Whiting City Clerk Treasurer

Mark S. Adam

Whiting City Staff

Michael Hrinyo, Building CommissionerMartin Jakubowski, Parks Department

Bob Kark, Director Economic DevelopmentKathy Kazmierski, Mayor’s Administrative Assistant

Denise Sejna, Whiting City Attorney

American Structurepoint, Inc.

Shane Burkhardt, AICP - Master Planner Megan Coler, AICPKevin Krulik, LS, PE

John KennedyGlen Campbell, PE

Brad Schrage, EI, LEED APEmily Dunn

Executive

5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Executive Summary

The purpose of the study is to provide technical analysis of the existing parking conditions and recommendations for future parking along 119th Street, the Lakefront Park, Whihala Beach, and the 117th Street Park.

Key FindingsThe data collection and analysis resulted in the key findings listed below.

• There are currently a total of 973 parking spaces within the 119th Street study area (including the estimated spaces designed for Standard Diamonds). This includes:

- 478 on-street parking spaces

- 207 public off-street parking spaces

- 288 private off-street parking spaces

• There are an estimated total of 159 parking spaces designed for 117th Street that include:


- 123 public off-street parking spaces (including the existing athletic complex parking lot)

• There are an estimated total of 249 parking spaces in the Lakefront Park that include:


- 154 off-street parking spaces

• There are a total of 335 parking spaces currently at Whihala Beach that include:

- 280 public parking spaces for standard vehicles

- 52 public parking spaces for trailered vehicles

- 3 private parking spaces for the maintenance garage

• Based on parking demand calculations, there is a slight deficit in parking spaces available along 119th Street due to the number of spaces that exist, utilization by business employees, and parking restrictions.

• There were several different variations of beach restriction parking signs and public parking wayfinding signage.

• Time restriction signs and alleyway parking signs are at locations that could cause confusion as to where the restrictions occur.

• An adequate supply of ADA accessible parking spaces along the 119th Street study area and particularly in public off-street parking lots does not exist.

RecommendationsThe following are recommendations to address the key findings as well as to ensure future parking areas within each study area provide adequate supply and an appropriate connection to larger community parking system.

6 Whiting Lakefront Parking Analysis

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

119th Street

• Additional parking spaces and areas will need to be built as retail increases and expands.

• Parking remedies can be implemented in the immediate future to help alleviate the existing parking deficit without constructing additional parking spaces. The following remedies are listed in the order of recommended implementation:

1. Encourage business owners and employees to park on side streets and avoid parking in prime parking spaces along 119th Street.

2. Identify and enforce time limits along 119th Street where prime parking spaces exist, between Indianapolis Boulevard and Schrage Avenue, to help improve turnover. This increases the amount of enforcement needed compared to the existing parking program along 119th Street, but is less expensive than implementing charging for parking.

3. Charging for parking increases even more turnover than the previous parking recommendations and should be implemented as the last parking strategy before additional parking spaces will need to be constructed. Charging for parking requires the most amount of enforcement and total cost of operating compared to the other options.

• All signage should follow Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) guidelines, therefore it is recommended the following signage be updated and/or replaced:

• “No Beach Parking” signs should indicate the restricted areas by adding arrows or language that distinctly identifies where the restricted areas begin and end.

• “No parking at Any Time” near alleyways should directly indicate where the restriction occurs.

• “Public Parking Lot” signs should be uniformed so visitors can easily identify areas that are available for parking.

• Additional wayfinding signage should be added to direct visitors to new destinations throughout Whiting including:

- Standard Diamonds

- Public Parking Lots

- Whihala Beach

- Lakefront Park

- 119th Street Shopping District

- 117th Street Park

• Appropriate number of ADA accessible parking spaces should be added to the public parking lots.

117th Street Park

• “No Beach Parking” signs that follow MUTCD guidelines should be posted at parking spaces and areas along 117th Street and surrounding the 117th Street Park.

7

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Wayfinding signage should be added to areas surrounding the 117th Street Park to direct visitors to other important locations throughout Whiting.

Lakefront Park

• To ensure revenue collection and provide visitors with accessible parking spaces, a combination of pay stations and gatehouses should be implemented including:

- Gatehouse at the new off-street parking lot

- Paystations should be constructed and implemented for on-street parking spaces along Park Road

- A limited number of 15-minute parking spaces should be constructed near the entrance of Whihala Beach within the Lakefront Park that would not be charged to allow for drop-off and pick-up

• Wayfinding signage should be added to areas surrounding the entrances and exits as well as within the Lakefront Park to direct visitors to other important locations throughout Whiting.

Whihala Beach

• Whihala Beach should maintain the current gatehouse structures to collect revenue for beach visitors.

• The exit road spikes that currently exist should be replaced with an automated gates to prevent wrong-way traffic from entering and prevent visitors from experiencing tire damage.

• Wayfinding signage should be added to areas surrounding the entrances and exits to Whihala Beach to direct visitors to other important locations throughout Whiting.

Purpose

PURPOSE

11

Purpose

American Structurepoint, Inc., is pleased to submit this parking study conducted in August and September 2010, for the City of Whiting, Indiana. The purpose of this study was to determine the current supply and demand relationships of parking along 119th Street and to make recommendations to alleviate conflicts. The parking study specifically addressed:

• Developing a comprehensive inventory of on- and off-street parking within the study area to determine the total supply, restrictions, and time limits.

• Determining potential impacts of the new development at Standard Diamonds, 117th Street, the Lakefront Park, and Whihala Beach on current parking supply and demand.

• Assessing current parking restrictions and time limits and making recommendations on changes to meet current parking demands.

• Evaluating existing parking, pedestrian, and wayfinding signs within the study area and making recommendations to increase their effectiveness.

• Evaluating existing ADA accessible parking spaces and making recommendations to ensure ADA compliance.

• Evaluating existing enforcement policies and practices and making recommendations on potential changes.

Study Area

15

STUDY AREA

Study Area

There were four different study areas for the parking study, including:

• 119th Street (bounded by Front Street on the east, the 119th Street alleyway on the north, Indianapolis Boulevard on the west, Fischrupp Avenue on the south), and Standard Diamonds

• 117th Street Park

• Lakefront Park

• Whihala Beach

The study areas focused specifically on the following parking supply:

• Public and private surface lots within the study area boundaries

• All parking areas along 119th Street alleyways

• On-street parking on 119th Street, Center Street, Standard Avenue, Schrage Avenue, Ohio Avenue, White Oak Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, New York Avenue, Oliver Street, Sheridan Avenue, Clark Street, LaPorte Avenue, Temple Street, Central Avenue, and Cleveland Avenue

• All restricted spaces and lots

Figure 1: Parking Study Areas

119th Street

117th Street

Fron

t Str

eet

Indianapolis Boulevard

Whihala BeachStudy Area

Lakefront ParkStudy Area

117th Street ParkStudy Area

119th StreetStudy Area

Standard Diamonds

Findings

FINDINGS

19

Findings

Parking Supply OverviewThe following tables provide a break out of the total number of parking spaces within each study area. Maps of the study area can be found in Figures 7 through 11 on pages 22 through 26 that display the parking inventory.

Figure 2: 119th Street Parking Totals

On-Street Public Off-Street Private Off-Street Total

478* 207* 288 973*

*Includes estimated parking spaces for Standard Diamonds. The final number of parking spaces may vary throughout design and construction

Figure 3: 117th Street Parking Totals

On-Street Public Off-Street Total

36* 123* 159*

*Includes estimated parking spaces for the 117th Street Park. The final number of parking spaces may vary throughout design and construction.

Figure 4: Lakefront Park Parking Totals

On-Street Public Off-Street Total

95* 154* 249*

*Includes estimated parking spaces for Lakefront Park redevelopment. The number of parking spaces may vary throughout design and construction.

Figure 5: Whihala Beach Parking Totals

Car Parking - Public

Trailer Parking - Public

Private Parking Total

280* 52* 3* 335*

*Existing inventory only.

119th Street InventoryOff-Street Parking Inventory

American Structurepoint conducted a site survey of all existing and proposed off-street parking within the study area. The site survey was supplemented by aerial photographs. The following are the number of off-street parking spaces within the 119th Street study area:

Figure 6: 119th Street Off-Street Parking Totals

Parking Area Total

Public Off-Street 207*

Private Off-Street 288

Residential 55

Commercial 226

Commercial and Residential 5

Police Parking 2

*Includes estimated parking spaces for Standard Diamonds. The final number of parking spaces may vary

Parallel on-street parking spaces along 119th Street between Center Street and Standard Avenue.

FINDINGS


throughout design and construction.

There are a total of 495 off-street parking spaces within the 119th Street study area. Of those spaces, 207 are public parking spaces and 288 spaces are private parking spaces. The private off-street parking spaces were broken into four categories: Residential, Commercial, Commercial and Residential, or Police Parking.

The public off-street parking spaces were determined, by observation, if the area had a sign stating it was for public parking (see Parking Signs), or if the parking area did not have a private sign or looked like it was associated with a specific private building. Off-street parking for Standard Diamonds were determined based on current design and may change throughout construction.

Private residential spaces were determined if, by visual observation, the building adjacent to the parking area was considered to be residential or of primary residential use, or if signs stated the space was reserved for residents. All private residential parking areas were located off the 119th Street alleyways.

Private commercial spaces were determined if, by observation, signs stating the area was for private parking for a particular business, or the building adjacent to the parking area was considered to be commercial or primary commercial use. Church parking lots were considered private commercial parking areas.

Private commercial and residential spaces were determined if, by observation, the building was a mixture of residential and commercial uses, and the parking spaces appeared to be used and/or reserved for tenants of both the commercial and residential use. All private commercial and residential parking areas were located off the 119th Street alleyways.

Two parking spaces were on the property of the Police Station, along White Oak Avenue. While there were no signs that stated the spaces were reserved for Police Vehicles, both spaces were occupied with parked police vehicles.

Use Restrictions

All public off-street parking areas within the 119th Street study area have no restrictions. Approximately 50 percent or 145 private off-street parking spaces within the 119th Street study area have restrictions, subject to the use restrictions listed below:

• Church Parking – 18

• Post Office Workers and Loading – 20

• Laundromat and Ice Cream Customers Only – 12

• Chase Bank Patrons Only – 8

• City Hall Employees – 4

• Deals Patrons – 17

• Region Signs – 2

• State Farm – 14

• Family Dollar – 19

• Funeral Home – 15

Diagonal public on-street parking

22

")A

")B

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")D

")E ")F

")G

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Block ATotal Public Spaces: 12On-Street Spaces: 12Off-Street Spaces: 0Handicap Spaces: 0

Total Private Spaces: 25Residential Spaces: 4Commercial Spaces: 20Com./Res. Spaces: 0Handicap Spaces: 1

Block BTotal Public Spaces: 70On-Street Spaces: 32Off-Street Spaces: 37Handicap Spaces: 1


Block CTotal Public Spaces: 25On-Street Spaces: 24Off-Street Spaces: 0Handicap Spaces: 1


Block DTotal Public Spaces: 32On-Street Spaces: 32Off-Street Spaces: 0Handicap Spaces: 0


Block ETotal Public Spaces: 25On-Street Spaces: 24Off-Street Spaces: 0Handicap Spaces: 1


Block FTotal Public Spaces: 36On-Street Spaces: 23Off-Street Spaces: 12Handicap Spaces: 1


Block GTotal Public Spaces: 63On-Street Spaces: 60Off-Street Spaces: 0Handicap Spaces: 3


Block HTotal Public Spaces: 34On-Street Spaces: 33Off-Street Spaces: 0Handicap Spaces: 0No Truck/Van/SUV Spaces: 1


Restricted Spaces

®t HANDICAP

!? NO PARKING - LOADING ZONE

!? NO TRUCK/VAN OR SUV PARKING

XW 15 MIN PARKING

#0 PICK UP AND DROP OFF ONLY MON - FRI 1PM-5PM

Parking AreasOff Street - Public

Off Street - Private Commercial

Off Street - Private Commercial/Residential

Off Street - Private Residential

On Street

TBD

119th Street Parking Study - West

Cle

vela

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119th St.

Cla

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23

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Block ITotal Public Spaces: 27On-Street Spaces: 27Off-Street Spaces: 0Handicap Spaces: 0


Block JTotal Public Spaces: 137On-Street Spaces: 56Off-Street Spaces: 75Handicap Spaces: 6No Truck/Van/SUV Spaces: 1No Parking - Loading Zone: 1


Block KTotal Public Spaces: 33On-Street Spaces: 31Off-Street Spaces: 0Handicap Spaces: 2No Truck/Van/SUV Spaces: 1


Block LTotal Public Spaces: 23On-Street Spaces: 15Off-Street Spaces: 8Handicap Spaces: 0No Truck/Van/SUV Spaces: 1

Total Private Spaces: 4Residential Spaces: 0Commercial Spaces: 2Com./Res. Spaces: 0Police Parking Spaces: 2Handicap Spaces: 0

Block MTotal Public Spaces: 23On-Street Spaces: 23Off-Street Spaces: 0Handicap Spaces: 0


Block OTotal Public Spaces: 38On-Street Spaces: 18Off-Street Spaces: 20Handicap Spaces: 0


Block NTotal Public Spaces: 126On-Street Spaces: 71Off-Street Spaces: 55Handicap Spaces:


Block PTotal Public Spaces: 10On-Street Spaces: 10Off-Street Spaces: 0Handicap Spaces: 0


Restricted Spaces

#0 PICK UP AND DROP OFF ONLY MON - FRI 1PM-5PM

®t HANDICAP

XW 15 MIN PARKING

!? NO PARKING - LOADING ZONE

!? NO TRUCK/VAN OR SUV PARKING


Off Street - Private Commercial

Off Street - Private Commercial/Residential

Off Street - Private Residential

Off Street - Police Parking

On Street

119th Street Parking Study - East

I

")L ")N

Block QTotal Public Spaces: 11On-Street Spaces: 11Off-Street Spaces: 0Handicap Spaces: 0


Sch

rage

Ave

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Whi

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119th St.

Fron

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Center St.

Ohio Ave.

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24

®t®t

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Area ATotal Public Spaces: 17On-Street Spaces: 15Off-Street Spaces: 0Handicap Spaces: 2

Area BTotal Public Spaces: 48On-Street Spaces: 0Off-Street Spaces: 45Handicap Spaces: 3


On Street

®t Handicap

# Wayfinding

117th Street Parking Study

I

Area CTotal Public Spaces: 6On-Street Spaces: 6Off-Street Spaces: 0Handicap Spaces: 0

Area DTotal Public Spaces: 88On-Street Spaces: 13Off-Street Spaces: 75Handicap Spaces: 0

117th St.

Ohi

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kj

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Area ATotal Public Spaces: 95Handicap Spaces: TBD

Area BTotal Public Spaces: 154Handicap Spaces: TBD

Parking AreasOff Street - PublicOn StreetOn Street - Time Restricted

# Wayfinding Signage

Revenue OptionsGF Paystation, Scenario 1: All Paystations

kj Gatehouse, Scenario 2: Gatehouse with Paystations

GF Paystation, Scenario 2: Gatehouse with Paystations

kj Gatehouse, Scenario 3: All Gatehouses

Lakefront Park Parking Study

I

Area CTotal Public Spaces (Time Restricted): 16Handicap Spaces: TBD

#

#

Parking AreasPublic Parking - Car Spaces

Public Parking - Trailer Spaces

Private Parking - Maintenance Garage

# Wayfinding Signage

Whihala BeachParking Study

I

Area ATotal Public Spaces for Standard Vehicles: 71Handicap Spaces for Standard Vehicles: 4Total Public Spaces for Trailer Vehicles: 0Handicap Spaces for Trailer Vehicles: 0

Area BTotal Public Spaces for Standard Vehicles: 209Handicap Spaces for Standard Vehicles: 4Total Public Spaces for Standard Vehicles: 0Handicap Spaces for Trailer Vehicles: 0

Area CTotal Public Spaces for Standard Vehicles: TBD Handicap Spaces for Standard Vehicles : TBDTotal Spaces for Trailer Vehicles: 52Handicap Spaces for Trailer Vehicles: TBDSpaces Reserved for Maintenance Garage: 3

")A

")B

")C

26

FINDINGS

27

• Police Parking – 2

• Private Property – All Others Towed – 14 spaces

On-Street Parking Inventory

American Structurepoint conducted a site survey of all on-street parking within the 119th Street study area. The site survey was supplemented by aerial photographs. There are a total of 478 on-street parking spaces within the 119th Street study area. These spaces are located on 119th Street, Center Street, Standard Avenue, Ohio Avenue, Schrage Avenue, White Oak Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, New York Avenue, Oliver Street, Sheridan Avenue, Clark Street, LaPorte Avenue, Temple Street, Central Avenue, and Cleveland Avenue within the study area boundaries. On-street parking spaces at Standard Diamonds were included and estimated based on current design. However the number of spaces may vary throughout construction.

Time Restrictions

Of all 478 on-street parking spaces within the 119th Street study area, a total of ten spaces have time restrictions. Nine spaces are limited to one-hour parking along the western side of New York Avenue. One space is limited to 15-minute parking immediately in front to the Police Station on the western side of Schrage Avenue.

Use Restrictions

Of the 478 on-street parking spaces within the 119th Street study area, four percent (19 spaces) do not have any use restrictions. The remaining on-street spaces have restrictions, subject to the use restrictions listed below:

• Accessible Spaces (ADA) – 11 spaces

- Two spaces along 119th Street, between Ohio Avenue and Pennsylvania Street

- One space on each of the following streets located at spaces closest to 119th Street

◦ White Oak Avenue

◦ New York Avenue

◦ Sheridan Avenue

◦ Clark Street (three spaces)

◦ LaPorte Avenue

◦ Temple Street

◦ Central Avenue

• No Truck/Van or SUV Parking – four spaces

- Located at corner spaces along 119th Street at the following intersections:

◦ East of intersection at Oliver Street

◦ East of intersection at Pennsylvania Avenue

◦ East and west of intersection at White Oak Avenue

• Pick Up and Drop Off Only (Monday - Friday, 1 to 5 p.m.) – three spaces

FINDINGS


- All three spaces located on southern side of 119th Street in front of Memory Makers Photography and Benchik Medical Health Center.

• No Parking – Loading Zone – one space

- Located at space on western side of White Oak Avenue, before the alleyway

• No Beach Parking – Approximately 29 spaces

- There are approximately 29 on-street parking spaces within the 119th Street study area that restrict beach parking due to the location of the signs and general statements of “No Beach Parking – Unauthorized Vehicles Towed Away.”

117th Street InventoryThe new 117th Street Park will include two little league baseball fields, a skate park, and five tennis courts at the northeast corner of 117th Street and Ohio Avenue. Seventy-one parking spaces are currently designed for the new park including, 17 on-street diagonal parking spaces on Ohio Avenue, 6 on-street parallel parking spaces on 117th Street, and 48 off-street parking spaces in a parking lot connecting to 117th Street and Ohio Avenue. The existing off-street parking lot at the southeast corner of 117th Street and Center Street will be reconfigured to accommodate approximately 75 parking spaces. Approximately 13 on-street parking spaces are proposed along Center Street, north of the athletic complex to accommodate additional parking for sporting events at both the athletic complex and the 117th Street Park. The total number of on and off street parking spaces are estimates and may vary throughout construction.

Figure 12: 117th Street

Parking Area On-Street Off-Street Total

117th Street Park 23 48 71

Athletic Complex 13 75 88

Total 36 123 159

Lakefront Park InventoryThe new Lakefront Park is designed to have one large off-street parking lot to provide parking for park visitors, pavilion event parking, and restaurant parking. The parking lot is currently designed to accommodate approximately 150 parking spaces. The Lakefront Park also is designed to have on-street diagonal parking spaces for visitors, which is designed to include approximately 95 parking spaces. At current design, there are approximately 249 parking spaces designed within the Lakefront Park. The total number of on- and off-street parking spaces are estimates and may vary throughout construction.

Figure 13: Lakefront Park

Off-street public parking lot at corner of 119th Street and Schrage Avenue between White Oak Avenue and New

FINDINGS

29

On-Street Off-Street Total

95 154 249

Whihala Beach InventoryWhihala Beach has three distinctive off-street parking lots with two different entrances. The off-street parking lot at the western entrance has 71 parking spaces for standard vehicles. The linear off-street parking lot, which spans the majority of the beach, has 209 parking spaces for standard vehicles and is accessed by the eastern entrance. The off-street parking lot adjacent to the boat launch will be redesigned as part of the Lakefront Park design. At current design, this parking lot has 52 parking spaces for trailer vehicles. There are also three standard vehicle parking spaces at the maintenance garage.

Figure 14: Whihala Beach

Parking Area Car Parking - Public

Trailer Parking - Public

Total

Western Parking Lot

71 0 71

Middle Parking Lot

209 0 209

Eastern Parking Lot

52 52

Maintenance Garage (Private)

3 0 3

Total 283 52 335

FINDINGS


Parking & Pedestrian Signage

American Structurepoint conducted a site survey of parking and wayfinding signage as part of the parking study. There were numerous different types and styles of signs for both on-street and off-street parking. The following is an inventory of all on-street parking signs found within the 119th Street study area. Recommendations for appropriate street signage according to the MUTCD can be found in the Conclusions and Recommendations chapter, starting on page 39.

Inventory of the four different signs used to restrict beach parking along 119th Street between Center Street and Front Street.

Beach Parking Signage

FINDINGS

31

Inventory of existing ADA accessible parking signage used in Whiting.

ADA Accessible Parking Sig-nage

Existing snow emergency signs.

Snow Emergency Signage

Inventory of existing parking restriction signs within the 119th Street study area.

Parking Restriction SignageNo Truck/Van/SUV Pick Up and Drop Off Only Loading Zone

ADA signage along 119th Street in front of Whiting Baptist Church

Example of current “Snow Emergency

“No Truck/Van/SUV Parking sign on south side of 119th Street between White Oak Avenue and

“Pick-up and Drop-off Only” sign on the south side of 119th Street between White Oak Avenue and the

“Loading Zone” sign on the western side of White Oak Avenue, before the

FINDINGS


Inventory of all existing time restricted signs in the 119th Street sudy area.

Time Restricted Signage

Inventory of all “No Parking” signs throughout the 119th Street study area.

“No Parking” Signage

One-Hour Parking

15-Minute Parking

“No Parking” sign along north side of 119th Street near Front

“No Parking” sign along south side of 119th Street near Front Street Intersection

One-hour, time-restricted sign along western side of New York Avenue, near the 119th Street

“No Parking” sign along White Oak Fifteen-minute, time-restricted sign along Schrage Avenue in

“No Parking” sign along New York Avenue in front of the

“No Parking” sign along 119th Street in front of off-street public parking lot between White Oak

FINDINGS

33

Wayfinding SignageThere are several different kinds of wayfinding signage along 119th Street, including signs for the following:

• Important Sites or Districts

• Street Wayfinding (for Center Street)

• Public Parking

There were a total of four wayfinding signs that direct visitors to important sites or districts of the same sign type (Image 1), with the City logo on the top and labeled “Historic District.” There was one street wayfinding sign (Image 2) that directed visitors to Center Street. This wayfinding sign did not match the Historic District wayfinding signage. There were two different “Public Parking” wayfinding sign types. One Public Parking sign had the same character as the rest of the “Historic District” wayfinding signs at the site of the new public parking lot between White Oak Avenue and New York Avenue (Image 3). The Public Parking sign at the public parking lot off New York Avenue had a similar style to the Historic District wayfinding signs, but it was the same as the other public parking wayfinding sign (Image 4).

Image 3 Image 4

PURPOSE

Whiting Lakefront Parking Analysis34

Accessibility (ADA)

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) lays out accessibility requirements in accordance to the size of the parking lot. The ADA requirements are listed in Figure 19 below. ADA required spaces must be calculated for each parking lot. Although space requirements are calculated per parking lot; in shared parking situations, ADA designated spaces do not necessarily have to be located within the lot they were calculated. They can be located in another lot, as long as they are in the closest proximity to an accessible entranceway and are supplied an accessible route.

The following tables provide a break out of the total number of accessible (ADA) parking spaces within each study area. Recommendations for the total number of ADA spaces needed in each study area are listed in the Conclusions and Recommendations Chapter, starting on page 35.

Figure 15: 119th Street Accessible Parking Spaces

On-Street Public Off-Street Private Off-Street

Spaces ADA Spaces

Spaces ADA Spaces

Spaces ADA Spaces

478 10 207 2 288 6

Figure 16: 117th Street Accessible Parking Spaces

On-Street Public Off-Street

Spaces ADA Spaces Spaces ADA Spaces

36 2 123 3

Figure 17: Lakefront Park Accessible Parking Spaces

On-Street Public Off-Street

Spaces(not including 15 minute spaces)

ADA Spaces (Required)

Spaces ADA Spaces (Required)

95 4 154 6

Figure 18: Whihala Beach Accessible Parking Spaces

Eastern Parking Lot

Middle Parking Lot Western Parking Lot

Spaces ADA Spaces

Spaces ADA Spaces

Spaces ADA Spaces

FINDINGS

35

52 3 209 4 71 4

Figure 19: ADA Requirements

Total Parking in LotRequired Minimum Number

of Accessible Spaces

1 to 25 1

26 to 50 2

51 to 75 3

76 to 100 4

101 to 150 5

151 to 200 6

201 to 300 7

301 to 400 8

401 to 500 9

501 to 1000 2 percent of total

1001 and over20 plus 1 for each 100 over

1000

Private off-street parking lot for laundry-mat and ice cream shop

Conclusions and Recommenda-

CONCLUSIONS

39

Conclusions and Recommendations

Each parking study area is within different phases of development. Recommendations listed below are based on each study area. The recommendations provided can be categorized into supply management recommendations and demand management recommendations. Supply management techniques address the issue of supply of spaces for specific users or in general. Demand management techniques attempt to manipulate a users desire to a parking space either by restricting parking choice, providing better information for users to make better parking decisions, or manipulating the price of supply in cases of free parking.

Parking DemandParking is an essential component of the transportation system; however, due to valuable land that is relatively scarce and a larger number of people converging to work, shop, and visit, parking in downtown districts are posed with several obstacles. Adequate parking in downtowns of any size can be challenging to meet and parking is a common complaint based on the perception that there is not enough capacity and the perception that parking is inconvenient.

In downtowns, everybody expects to park once and then walk around to shop or dine. A dense downtown can provide this experience, but off-street parking lots reduce density because each building has its own unshared parking. Because downtowns pack so much into a small space, people are willing to visit even if they have to pay to park and then walk to get there. A successful downtown must be accessible, which includes traffic and parking, but too much parking can weaken the downtown environment. There is a critical point in which too much parking can harm rather than help downtowns.

The following are parking management strategies that can help increase the availability of spaces for customers throughout the 119th Street shopping district. The recommendations are listed in order of minimal required resources to the most required resources to implement.

The calculated demand for parking spaces in each study area was calculated utilizing three methods.

1. Parking generation rates and requirements based on Whiting’s current zoning ordinance standards

2. Parking generation rates and requirements based on the proposed updated zoning ordinance

3. Parking generation rates published by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). These rates are calculated from a sampling of similar land uses around the country and allow parking demand to be calculated either from knowing employment and land use or gross floor area.

119th Street Parking Demand Parking demand was calculated based on information gathered from the existing parking analysis, the Retail and Commercial Analysis conducted by Gruen Gruen + Associates for the Whiting Lakefront Park Master Plan, existing zoning standards, proposed zoning standards and the ITE Parking Generation Guide 3rd Edition. Parking demand was calculated to determine if the current parking supply is

Private parking area for Post Office workers and vehicles

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CONCLUSIONS

Whiting Lakefront Parking Analysis

adequate for retail and residential uses within the 119th Street study area. The following demand analysis identifies where parking surplus and deficits exists and the overall parking supply and demand for the area.

Retail Parking Demand

Whiting’s primary retail area is considered approximately 2,500 feet along 119th Street extending between Indianapolis Boulevard and Schrage Avenue, extending to the 119th Street alleyway to the north and to Fischrupp Avenue, including Walgreen’s and the adjacent parking areas between Indianapolis Avenue and Temple Avenue. The following provides a breakdown of available parking within the retail trade area. There is a total of 103,200 sq ft of estimated ground floor retail space within the market area (including Walgreens) according to Gruen Gruen + Associates Retail and Commercial Analysis based off property records from the Lake County Assessor’s Office. Currently there are a total of 549 available parking spaces within the retail area. Available parking spaces are defined as spaces that are completely available for visitor parking. The following lists are spaces that were not determined available based on their posted and perceived restrictions:

• All residential spaces that were determined if, by visual observation, the building adjacent to the parking area was considered to be residential or of primary residential use or if signs stated that the space was reserved for residents.

• Commercial parking areas that were gated (Church parking lot, Funeral Home Parking lot, and Post Office parking lot)

• Public parking spaces that were restricted by signs. (“Pick up and drop off only,” “No Parking – Loading Zone,” “15 Minute Parking”)

- Public parking spaces that were restricted with one hour parking were not excluded as available parking since one hour still provides enough time for people to use those parking spaces for an hour and visit commercial uses.

• Parking spaces reserved for police parking

The following table shows the parking requirements for retail and commercial within the retail area based on current zoning standards, proposed zoning standards and the ITE Parking Generation 3rd Edition for retail uses.

Figure 20: Retail Parking Demand at 100 Percent UseTotal Ground Floor Retail Space: 103,200 sq ftTotal Number of Available Parking Spaces: 674

Existing Zoning Ordinance Proposed Zoning Ordinance ITE Parking Generation Guide 3rd Edition

Min. Required Spaces

# of Spaces Needed


# of Spaces Needed

Required Spaces

# of Spaces Needed

1 space per 200 sq ft (up to 1000 sq ft)

516 2.5 spaces per 1000 sq ft


361

Surplus or Deficit

Surplus + 158 Surplus + 416 Surplus + 313

To appropriately account for an effective parking supply, it is important to calculate

Typical residential parking areas along alleyways

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the number of occupied spaces at optimum operating efficiency. Parking will be perceived as full at somewhat less than its actual capacity, typically 80 percent. It is appropriate to have a small cushion of spaces over the expected accumulation of vehicles. The cushion reduces the need to search the entire parking system for the last few parking spaces. It further provides for operating fluctuations, misparked vehicles, snow cover, vehicle maneuvers, and vacancies created by reserving spaces for specific users, such as disabled parking. The effective supply cushion in a parking system also provides for unusual peaks in activities. The following table takes into account effective parking supply. The number of spaces needed is calculated by adding 20 percent more to the number of spaces needed at 100 percent occupancy to accommodate for the cushion previously described.

Figure 21: Retail Parking Demand for Effective Parking SupplyTotal Ground Floor Retail Space: 103,200 sq ftTotal Number of Available Parking Spaces: 674



# of Spaces Needed


# of Spaces Needed

Required Spaces

# of Spaces Needed

1 space per 200 sq ft (up to 1000 sq ft)



433

Surplus or Deficit


Residential Parking DemandThe square footage of building space within the retail area not considered ground floor retail is assumed to be residential. A total of 152,900 sq ft is assumed to be the total number of floor space dedicated to residences based on Gruen Gruen + Associates Commercial and Retail Analysis. This was estimated by subtracting the estimated ground floor retail square footage from the total commercial building space within the retail area. For study purposes, it was assumed that the average residential unit within the retail area is 1,000 sq ft and a 1 bedroom unit. It was also assumed that there is an average 10 percent vacancy rate at any given time due to turnover and further affects the demand of parking spaces within the retail area.

The following lists are spaces that were not determined available based on their posted and perceived restrictions:

• Commercial parking areas that were gated (Church parking lot, Funeral Home Parking lot, and Post Office parking lot)

• Public parking spaces that were restricted by signs. (“Pick up and drop off only,” “No Parking – Loading Zone,” “15 Minute Parking,” and “1 Hour Parking”)

• Parking spaces reserved for police parking

• Private commercial spaces that were that were restricted by signs for tenant

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parking

The following table shows the parking requirements for residential space with 100 percent occupancy within the retail area based on current zoning standards, proposed zoning standards and the ITE Parking Generation 3rd Edition for retail uses.

Figure 22: Residential Parking Demand at 100 Percent OccupancyTotal Number of Units (Estimated): 152Total Number of Available Parking Spaces: 539



# of Spaces Needed


# of Spaces Needed

Required Spaces

# of Spaces Needed

2 per dwelling unit

304 1.5 per dwelling unit


228

Surplus or Deficit


The following table shows the parking requirements for residential space with 90 percent occupancy within the retail area based on current zoning standards, proposed zoning standards and the ITE Parking Generation 3rd Edition for retail uses.

Figure 23: Residential Parking Demand at 90 Percent OccupancyTotal Number of Units (Estimated): 138 Total Number of Available Parking Spaces: 539



# of Spaces Needed


# of Spaces Needed

Required Spaces

# of Spaces Needed

2 per dwelling unit



207

Surplus or Deficit


To determine the total demand for parking within the retail area, the demand generated by retail and commercial uses at effective parking supply was added to the demand generated by residents at 90 percent residential occupancy within the retail area. The following table represents this demand within the retail area.

Figure 24: Effective Parking Supply with Retail and Residential Demand


# of Spaces Needed

# of Spaces Needed # of Spaces Needed

Retail 619 310 433

Residential 276 207 207

Total 895 517 640

Newly paved and striped parking

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Surplus or Deficit

Deficit -230 Surplus +148 Surplus + 25

The total number of parking spaces that are available within the retail area for either retail or commercial customers or tenants of residential units is 665 parking spaces. This includes all parking spaces except:

• Parking spaces reserved for Police Parking

• Parking spaces restricted by the following: “Pick up and drop off only,” “No Parking – Loading Zone,” or “15 Minute Parking”

Based on the current zoning ordinance, there is a parking deficit of approximately 230 spaces. Based on proposed parking changes to the Zoning Ordinance, there is a surplus of 148 parking spaces. Based on the ITE Parking Generation Guide 3rd Edition, 119th Street study area has a surplus of approximately 25 spaces.

The current zoning parking standards determines a rather large parking defecit, however these parking standards are common standards found in ordinances for more suburban communities and do not necessarily reflect downtown parking requirements where parking spaces are used by multiple users for multiple uses. The proposed zoning parking ordinance looked at common planning practice standards found in the ITE Parking Generation Guide 3rd Edition and the Urban Land Use Shared Parking Manual to recommend parking requirements that apply to a more urban context. While the parking deficit under the current zoning ordinance depicts the need for a large increase in parking, but compared to the surplus under the other standards, it is concluded that a slight parking shortage exists within the 119th Street study area. However, there is not an immediate need to supply large amounts of parking areas to address the deficit depicted from the current zoning ordinance. It is recommended that as retail increases and expands within the area, along with the increase of multi-use developments, additional parking will be needed.

Supply Management RecommendationsThe construction of additional parking spaces and parking lots will be required as the amount of retail increases and expands. However, there are short term management strategies that should be implemented to increase parking supply without having the burden of constructing new parking spaces until you absolutely need them. The following are supply management solutions that shoul be implemented within the primary cusomer parking areas identified in Figure 25. Each of these strategies vary in implementation cost and effectiveness. It is recommended to implement the strategies in the following order from the least expensive to the most expensive. By moving through these recommendations in this order, it will also increasingly improve parking supply as parking spaces become more scarce. The the most expensive strategy (charging for parking) is the most effective at increasing supply.

1. Encourage business onwers to avoid parking within the prime customer parking areas

2. Implement time restricted areas along 119th Street where more turnover is needed

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CONCLUSIONS


3. Charge for parking at the most prime parking spaces (along 119th Street, between Indianapolis Boulevard and Schrage Avenue)

Business Owners and Employees Restricted from Prime Customer Parking AreasThe most inexpensive supply management strategy that could increase parking supply along 119th Street is to encourage business owners and employees to avoid parking in prime customer parking areas. Business owners and employees should park within alleyways or side streets to prevent prime customer parking spaces from constantly being occupied throughout the day by employees. On-street parking spaces along 119th Street within the primary shopping area as shown in Figure 18 (between Indianapolis Boulevard and Schrage Avenue) and along side streets between 119th Street and the alleyway (on the north and south sides of 119th Street) provide the most convenient parking spaces for shoppers and visitors due to the most immediate access to businesses along 119th Street. Therefore, employees should not park in these areas. Employees should be required to park within parking lots along the alleyways and along side streets, not between the alleyways and 119th Street. This can help increase business patronage by providing customers prime and convenient parking spaces.

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Figure 25: Prime Customer Parking Areas

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Time Restricted Parking Areas15-Minute Parking

2-Hour Parking

3-Hour Parking

Figure 26: Time Restricted Parking Areas

This management strategy is recommended to be implemented first as it is the least expensive to implement by not requiring as much enforcement as the other strategies.

Time Restricted AreasSeveral communities deal with a shortage of on-street parking by limiting the time allowed in on-street spaces, relying on time limits to create turnover. This strategy is recommended to be implemented after encouraging business owners to park in areas other than the prime customer parking areas. This strategy will increase even more turnover than the previous strategy but enforcement costs are greater.

Communities implement time restrictions within their downtowns not only to increase turn over but as another enforcement mechanism to prevent employees from taking prime customer parking spaces. However, it is important that adequate parking exists for employees to prevent them from moving their cars regularly from one time restricted space within the prime customer parking areas to another when the time limits expire. This “parking bingo” creates an additional cost to the business by increasing the number of breaks an employee takes based on the time limits for parking spaces. Figure 25 shows the prime customer parking areas which should be reserved for customer parking. Employees should then park outside the prime customer parking area. Images 5 and 6 are an example of MUTCD signage that will be needed to identify the correct time restricted parking areas.

Parking studies conducted across the country indicate that the average parking duration in on-street parking spaces is 2.1 hours. Therefore, it is recommended that the majority of on-street parking spaces within the prime customer parking areas should be restricted to two hours. Public off-street parking areas should have a longer time restriction since these parking spaces provide the most convenient parking options for businesses immediately adjacent to the parking lots. Time restricted parking areas are displayed in Figure 26.

On-street parking along side streets adjacent to the school and city offices (Oliver Street and New York Avenue between 119th Street and the alleyway) should also

Image 5

Image 6

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CONCLUSIONS


have longer time limits since these uses typically accommodate meetings and volunteers that require a visit longer than two hours. It is recommended these lots have a time restriction of three hours. Three hours is still short enough to prevent employees from parking within these areas, whereas four hours or longer provides more opportunities for employees to move their cars at lunch or park for their entire shift. On-street parking spaces in front of the Post Office are recommended to have 15-minute parking restrictions due to the high turnover of visitors to the post office that typically generate 15 minute or less visits while conducting business at the post office. Image 7 is an example of a MUTCD sign that can be used to identify the time restricted areas in front of the Post Office. On-street and off-street parking along 119th Street, east of Schrage Avenue currently does not have the large number of commercial and retail businesses that exist along 119th Street between Indianapolis Boulevard and Schrage Avenue. Therefore, the shorter turnover demand is not as quite as strong in this area. However, with the construction of the new baseball stadium at Standard Diamonds, it is recommended that three hour parking limits are within these areas. These time limits allow adequate parking time for baseball spectators. As more commercial and retail businesses are constructed within this area, the City should re-evaluate the time limits to ensure appropriate parking turnover and availability exists.

Time restricted parking requires more parking enforcement than unrestricted parking areas. This parking management strategy will require enforcement officers to chalk tires to determine cars parking more than the time restrictions allotment and consequently write tickets for expired parking spaces.

Charging for ParkingCharging for parking is the strategy that will create the most turnover but also is the highest in cost to both the City and its users. It is recommended to implement this strategy as the last supply management strategy and be carefully considered when parking supply needs to be increased but the City is not quite ready to build more parking areas.

Parking in most downtowns is communally owned, meaning that anyone has a right to the resource once they capture it. Free on-street parking within downtowns is available to all drivers on a “first-come, first-served” basis. When all on-street parking is occupied, turnover leads to a few vacancies over time, forcing drivers to cruise to find a space vacated by a departing motorist. There are several negative effects produced by cruising, including traffic congestion, wasted fuel, increase in accidents, and pollution. Residents often believe that communities should not charge for on-street parking because it is a public good. However a public good is considered nonrival in consumption, meaning that one person’s use does not reduce the amount left for everyone else. Public goods are nonexclusive, meaning that once the good has been produced, charging for it is difficult because no one can be excluded from receiving its benefits. However, parking is a rival consumption since only one car can occupy a parking space at a time, and charging for parking is easy. Additionally, the social costs for not charging for on-street parking and forcing cruising are rather large including traffic congestion, air pollution, accidents, wasted time, and wasted fuel.

Charging for parking spaces increases both turnover of spaces and helps the

Image 7

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City collect revenue for parking. Motorists are generally accustomed to unpriced parking. Once consumers are accustomed to getting something for free, they tend to assume that it is right and fair and resist paying for it. However, parking facilities are not really free. The citizens pay for them indirectly through higher taxes (for public parking), higher prices on retail goods (for parking provided by businesses), and lower wages (for parking provided by employers). The following are some common advantages and disadvantages for pricing parking.

Figure 27: Advantages and Disadvantages of Charging for Parking

Advantages

Reduce parking demand

Parking is available for intended users

Addresses parking congestion

Users pay for parking

Creates revenue

Reduce motor vehicle traffic

Setting the price for parking can help balance the demand for parking. The “right price” for parking ensures there is no shortage of parking and does not require drives to search for a parking space. It is recommended that between 10-15 percent of on-street spaces should remain vacant to prevent cruising. Communities that charge for on-street parking typically eliminate time limits as a way to create parking turnover by relying on prices alone to maintain a few vacancies and create parking turnover. Several strategies exist for parking pricing techniques including the following. A parking pricing strategy should carefully be evaluated prior to implementation:

• Pricing the most convenient parking spaces for customers and clients, with minute or hourly rates

• Using time variable rates such as higher prices during peak periods and lower prices at off-peak times

• Prices should be structured to maintain 85-90 percent occupancy rates to encourage turnover and avoid spillover to non-charging parking areas

Sign StandardsAccording to the MUTCD, 2009, the following sign requirements apply where parking is prohibited at all times or at specific times:

Section 2B.47 Design of Parking, Standing, and Stopping SignsBasic Design:

• Red legend and border on a white background

• Emergency Parking or Stopping signs shall have a black legend and border

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and a red circle and slash on a white background

Limited-Time Parking Standards• Parking signs should display the following information from top to bottom of

sign in the order listed:

1. The restriction or prohibition

2. The times of the day that it is applicable, if not all hours

3. The days of the week that it is applicable, if not every day

• If the parking restriction applies to a limited area or zone, the limits should be shown by arrows or supplemental plaques (single-head arrow or double-head arrow and angled no less than 30 degrees and no more than 45 degrees with the line of traffic flow).

- As an alternate to the use of arrows to show designation, word messages such as BEGIN, END, HERE TO CORNER, HERE TO ALLEY, THIS SIDE OF SIGN, or BETWEEN SIGNS may be used.

- To minimize the number of parking signs, blanket regulations that apply to a given district may, if legal, be posted at district boundary lines.

- Spacing of signs should be based on legibility and sign orientation, but if the zone is unusually long, signs showing a double arrow should be used at intermediate points within the zone.

• Where special parking restrictions are imposed during heavy snowfall, Emergency Snow Route signs should be installed.

• If a fee is charged for parking and a mid-block pay station is used instead of

Figure 28: Restricted Beach Parking Areas

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Image 8: Existing (above) and Recommended (below)

CONCLUSIONS

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individual parking meters for each parking space, pay parking signs should be used to define the area where the pay station parking applies and also direct users to the pay station.

• If signs are mounted at an angle of 90 degrees to the curb line, two signs shall be mounted back to back at the transition point between two parking zones, with appended signs “THIS SIDE OF SIGN.”

Otherwise, the standards of placement should be the same as for signs using directional arrows.

Signage RecommendationsCurrently the majority of on-street parking signs along 119th Street meet the MUTCD guidelines. A complete signage inventory and existing conditions can be found in the Findings chapter on page 30. The following are recommendations to signage along 119th Street to ensure MUTCD guidelines are met.

Beach Parking: “No Beach Parking” signs are along 119th Street between Schrage Avenue and Front Street to prevent beach and park visitors from occupying parking spaces along 119th Street. However, the signs do not indicate specific restricted areas, which is recommended in the MUTCD guidelines. Therefore it is recommended that the existing “No Beach Parking” signs add single-head or double-head arrows or use word messages such as BEGIN, END, HERE TO CORNER, HERE TO ALLEY, THIS SIDE OF SIGN, BETWEEN SIGNS, THIS SIDE OF SIGN to distinctly identify the restricted no beach parking areas. Image 8 (page 48) shows the existing Beach Parking signs and the recommended Beach Parking sign based on MUCTD guidelines. There are also “No Beach Parking” signs with additional “No Parking Here to Corner” signs which appear to be intended to regulate beach parking along the block and no parking (regardless of beach parking) from the sign to the corner. Since both signs are on the same post, it appears that the signs only regulate no beach parking from the sign to the corner. According to MUTCD guidelines, it is recommended to single-head or double head arrows or using word messages such as BEGIN, END, HERE TO CORNER, HERE TO ALLEY, THIS SIDE OF SIGN, BETWEEN SIGNS or THIS SIDE OF SIGN. Figure 28 shows the areas within the 119th Street study where “No Beach Parking” signs would be most effective.

Alleyway Parking: There were several “No Parking at Any Time” signs posted near alleyway entrances creates confusion by not addressing where parking is prohibited as seen in Image 9. Due to the location of these signs, it is unclear if parking is prohibited in the alleyway or just in front of where the sign is posted. These signs should be clarified using MUTCD guidelines and indicate where the restricted parking is located. This can be achieved by adding the words “IN ALLEY” to the “No Parking at Any Time” if prohibiting parking in the alleyway is desired.

Time Restriction Signage: Currently there are only two time-restricted areas within the 119th Street study area. There is a police-enforced 1-hour parking limit signs on the western side of New York Avenue between 119th Street and the alleyway (as seen in Image 10) and also a 15 Minute Parking sign for one space in front of

Image 9

Image 10

Image 11

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CONCLUSIONS


the Police Station on Schrage Avenue as seen in Image 8. Based on the Parking Study evaluation, Figure 28 shows the recommended parking restriction areas. The following are examples of MUTCD signage that would be recommended to appropriately identify time restricted spaces.

Wayfinding RecommendationsTo ensure visitors can efficiently navigate to various attractions throughout Whiting, the Wayfinding Signage Program should be expanded to include wayfinding signage along 119th Street.

Indianapolis Boulevard: Add Whiting’s wayfinding signage at various intersections along Indianapolis Boulevard to attract visitors to the 119th Street Shopping District, Whihala Beach, Lakefront Park, Standard Diamonds, 117th Street Park, BP, Community Centers, Government Center, and Whiting Public Schools.

Existing Wayfinding Signage: Expand existing wayfinding signage or add additional wayfinding signage along 119th Street to include directions to Whihala Beach, Lakefront Park, Standard Diamonds, 117th Street Park, and 119th Street Shopping District.

Public Parking Wayfinding Signage: Unify parking signs that identify Public Parking areas to ensure visitors know where public parking is avaialble. General wayfinding signage should also include directions to the public parking lots.

ADA RecommendationsBased on the required ADA accessible spaces per the number of parking spaces, the following are recommendations based on ADA guidelines.

On-street parking is available and accessible for patrons and employees of multiple businesses; therefore, the numbers of required accessible spaces were based on the total number of on-street parking spaces within the study area. Based on 478 on-street parking spaces, 9 accessible spaces are required. There are currently a total of 10 on-street accessible spaces within the 119th Street study area, which does not require any additional accessible spaces.

Public off-street parking within the 119th Street study area is created to provide additional patron and employee parking for businesses along 119th Street. Since public off-street parking areas are constructed at specific areas, providing access to adjacent or nearby businesses, each lot should provide accessible spaces based on the number of parking spaces within the lot. Currently, only one public off-street parking lot provides two accessible spaces. The following are recommended locations for the additional accessible spaces:

• One accessible space in the public lot along 119th Street alleyway, north of 119th Street, between Oliver Street and Sheridan Avenue

• Improve ADA signage for the one accessible space in the public lot south of 119th Street, east of New York Avenue

• Two accessible spaces in the public lot along the 119th Street alleyway, south of 119th Street, between New York Avenue and the new public lot when the additional parking spaces are added (west of White Oak Avenue)

• One accessible space in the public lot north of 119th Street, east of Center Street

• Three accessible spaces in the new public lot east of Standard Diamonds, west of Standard Avenue

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Since the ADA guidelines require all newly constructed facilities to construct ADA accessible spaces, it is not required that existing lots need to accommodate lacking accessible spaces. However, since there is currently a limited number of accessible parking spaces available for public off-street lots, consideration may be given to adding accessible spaces in addition to the required accessible spaces at new off-street public parking lots.

Accessible private off-street spaces should be required for new construction of buildings or facilities based on Figure 19. In reviewing private off-street parking lots that were reserved for specific commercial entities including Walgreens, Deals, and Family Dollar, adequate accessible spaces for their private parking lots were provided. Private off-street parking lots for the funeral home, State Farm/Horizon Bank, the post office, Chase Bank, the Laundromat, and ice cream store do not provide adequate accessible spaces within their off-street parking lots.

117th StreetSupply and Demand Management RecommendationsThe 117th Street Park is being designed to include on-street parking spaces and off-street parking areas. Parking management for both on-street and off-street parking areas would maintain the current parking enforcement and management system which is primarily enforced through signage.

Signage RecommendationsThe following signage recommendations would help manage and enforce parking within the on- and off-street parking areas within and adjacent to the the 117th Street Park.

Beach Parking: The improvement to the 117th Street Lakefront Park entrance will increase the need for “No Beach Parking” signs that comply with the MUTCD guidelines along 117th Street, Center Street, Oliver Street and Ohio Avenue to reserve parking for residents within these areas. The new parking lots for the 117th Street Park will also need “No Beach Parking” signs to ensure adequate parking is reserved for the use of the 117th Street park. Figure 19 shows the areas within the 117th Street study where “No Beach Parking” signs would be most effective.

Wayfinding RecommendationsTo ensure visitors can efficiently navigate to various attractions throughout Whiting, the Wayfinding Signage Program should be expanded to include wayfinding signage along surrounding the 117th Street Park area. Directional wayfinding signage directing visitors to the Lakefront Park, Whihala Beach, 119th Street Shopping District, Whiting Public Schools, and Standard Diamonds should be considered at the following locations (Figure 29 shows the proposed locations) :

• Intersection of 117th Street and Ohio Avenue (southbound)

• Intersection of 117th Street and Oliver Street (northbound)

• Exit ways from off-street parking areas - can accomodate smaller marketing signs at the pedestrian scale

• Intersection of 117th Street and Center Street

ADA RecommendationsBased on the required ADA accessible spaces per the number of parking spaces,

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the following are recommendations based on ADA guidelines.

There are a total of 36 on-street spaces within the 117th Street study area and two accessible on-street spaces are planned along Ohio Avenue near the tennis courts. Based on the ADA Standards, no additional accessible spaces are required based on the total number of on-street parking spaces.

The off-street parking lot north of 117th Street is planned to provide three accessible spaces within the 48 space parking lot, which exceeds the ADA Standard requirements. The public off-street parking lot south of 117th Street has a total of 75 spaces and currently does not provide accessible spaces. This lot would need to provide between three and four accessible spaces if the lot was improved to meet ADA standards.

Lakefront ParkSupply Management RecommendationsCurrent design of the Lakefront Park provides approximately 154 off-street parking spaces and approximately 111 on-street parking spaces. Throughout further design of the Lakefront Park, the 154 space lot may be expanded to accommodate more parking spaces. Overflow areas may be designed adjacent to the parking lot. Approximately 95 on-street parking spaces have been designed to provide park visitor parking along the Park Road. Approximately 11 on-street

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Figure 29: 117th Street Wayfinding Signage

Image 12

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parking spaces have been designed near the 117th Street park entrance and will be restricted to 15-minute parking. This will provide parents appropriate and safe parking areas to drop-off and pick-up children at the park or Whihala Beach. The 15-minute parking areas will need to include MUTCD signs that state the restrictions of the space and where the restrictions apply. Image 12 represents the MUTCD signage that would be appropriate for the 15-minute parking areas within the park.

Parking SystemTo generate parking revenue throughout the Lakefront Park parking areas, several different parking system options were considered to determine the most appropriate solution for collecting revenue while providing convenient parking options for park visitors. The City reviewed each of the following scenarios which included options to retain gatehouses, which currently exist at Whihala Beach and within the Lakefront Park, add paystations and also evaluated parking meters.

The following parking scenarios were evaluated based on the overall needs of parking within the Lakefront Park and Whihala Beach. Currently, Whihala Beach and the Lakefront Park charges $7.00 for all Indiana cars, excluding Whiting/Robertsdale residents within the 46394 zip code who are not charged to park. Out-of-state park guests are charged $15.00 a day to park at Whihala Beach. Special events held at the park charge varying rates. With the redevelopment of the Lakefront Park, the City wanted to ensure parking revenue was collected through the new parking distribution while also making parking for the park accessible for visitors. The City decided to maintain the existing parking rates for all new parking areas within the Lakefront Park. Therefore, the City wanted to evaluate different parking revenue management strategies to implement the most effective method in terms of collecting revenue, differentiating user fees, efficiency, and low operational costs. Throughout the review of different parking scenarios, it was determined that traditional parking meters per parking space created high installation and maintenance costs and could not provide an effective solution to varying user fees. Therefore, it was determined that parking meters would not be considered as a parking system within the park. The City decided to further evaluate the use of gatehouses (manned between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.), since this is the current operating system and provides ease to varying rates per user, along with paystations, which are an increasingly common method to collecting parking fees, providing several different options compared to the standard parking meter including varying fees per user and events, collecting different payment options, and requiring only one paystation for approximately every 10 parking spaces.

The City evaluated three different parking scenarios and compared each scenario using a weighted decision matrix as a tool to evaluate each scenario, as seen in Image 12. Factors in the scenario and overall parking strategy were listed and given a weighted value based on their importance in deciding a parking strategy for the Lakefront Park and Whihala Beach. The factors included:

• Different Forms of Payment

• Public Drive Through

• Open to the Public (Perception)

• Ease of Enforcement

• User Convenience

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• Park Security/Safety

• Public Perception

• Advantage of Hiring

• Variable Rates per User

• Variable Rates per Events

• Revenue Opportunities

• Lack of Car Stacking (Lines)

• Lower Equipment Cost

• Lower Operating Cost

The City then rated each factor in each scenario. The ratings were added and provided a total for each scenario based on the weighted factors to help determine the parking scenario would fit best within the Lakefront Park and Whihala Beach.

The following parking scenarios and are displayed graphically in Figure 24 (below) reviewed by the City.

Scenario 1: Electronic Pay Stations

This scenario includes new pay stations for all parking areas within the Lakefront Park and Whihala Beach. This scenario includes two pay stations within the Lakefront Park Pavilion Lot (Lot B) in central locations to provide equal distance to parking visitors. The scenario includes two pay stations centrally located and on each side of the street for on-street parking spaces (Lot A). The scenario also includes one pay station for the Whihala Beach boat trailer parking lot, three pay stations for the larger Whihala Beach parking lot, and two pay stations for the western Whihala Beach parking lot. Image 13 is an example of a pay station that would be placed to collect revenue for parking.

Scenario 2: Electronic Pay Stations and Gatehouses

This scenario includes a combination of pay stations and gatehouses within the Lakefront Park and Whihala Beach. This scenario includes three gatehouses, one newly constructed gatehouse located at the entrance to the Lakefront Park Pavilion Lot (Lot B), the existing gatehouse located at the eastern entrance to Whihala Beach, and the existing gatehouse located at the western entrance to Whihala Beach. The scenario also includes two pay stations centrally located on each side of the street at the Lakefront Park on-street parking areas.

Scenario 3: Gatehouses

This scenario includes the use of existing and new gatehouses. A new gatehouse would be constructed at the entrance to the Lakefront Park along Front Street. A new gatehouse (or moving the existing gatehouse at the eastern entrance to Whihala Beach) would be used at the entrance to both the Lakefront Park and Whihala Beach. The existing gatehouse would be used at the western Whihala Beach entrance. Image 14 shows what the existing gatehouses look like at the east and west entrances to Whihala Beach.

Selecting a Parking System

The City determined to implement Scenario 2: Electronic Pay Stations and Gatehouses due to the advantages including ease of collecting different forms of

Image 14

Image 13

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payment, allowing the public to drive through the park without paying, increasing the perception that the park is open to the public, user convenience, revenue opportunities, and lack of car stacking.

GatehousesA gatehouse will be constructed at the entrance to the Lakefront Park Pavilion Lot and at the eastern entrance to Whihala Beach. The existing gatehouse at the western entrance to Whihala Beach will remain. The future restaurant facilities in the Lakefront Park will share the Lakefront Park Pavilion Lot for their patrons, which demands a parking management strategy to accommodate multiple users, the park visitor and the restaurant customer. The City and future restaurant operators will need to decide how to handle payment for restaurant customer parking at the gated parking lot. Possible solutions for restaurant parking and gatehouse operations may include:

• Restaurant customers pay the gatehouse (when manned) and get reimbursed by the restaurant at the time of their bill. The restaurant then turns in receipts (monthly or quarterly) and gets reimbursed by the City.

• The gatehouse keeper allows restaurant customers through the gates without paying. This is an honor-based system.

• Provide time restricted “Restaurant Parking” signs within the parking lot reserved for restaurant customers. A restaurant customer does not have to pay at the gatehouse, but must park in the restricted area that is limited to two- or three-hour parking. This will mean that enforcement would need to control the restricted areas for parking. Park guests could park in the restricted areas as long as they have an entrance ticket (provided at the gatehouse upon payment) on their dashboard. This still incorporates an honor system that park visitors will not say they are restaurant customers and instead visit the park for two to three hours.

• Restaurant users pay a flat fee. The Urban Land Institute’s Shared Parking, 2nd Edition states that a reasonable charge for customer parking will not hurt an otherwise desirable destination. It is important to carefully set the price of parking so that it will not detract from a project’s appeal.

• Collecting fees at the exit is an option instead of collecting fees upon entrance. This method may modify gatekeeper hours to stay later into the evening (around dusk). Restaurant customers would then present their receipt to the gatekeepers to avoid paying for parking.

Pay StationsMulti-space pay stations provide multiple payment options and varying rates per user or events. Pay stations offer several operational modes that can accommodate different fees for users, which include:

• Pay-and-Display – Requires the parker to display a ticket on their vehicle dashboard after paying for parking. To ensure different rates are being applied appropriately per users, parkers type in their zip code or where they are from. Tickets would then be dispensed with a code identifying which fee bracket they paid. Since the ticket would be displayed on the dashboard, parking enforcers could then verify parkers paid the appropriate amount based on the license plate and code on the ticket. Whiting residents could either enter their zip code or have a resident card that would waive fees. Tickets would still be dispersed, and Whiting parkers would still need to display the ticket on their dashboards. Enforcement is

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relatively easy to maintain since enforcement officers simply check vehicle dashboards to verify the parker has purchased a valid ticket based on their license plate and that the ticket has not expired.

• Pay-by-Space – Requires the parker to enter their parking space number at the pay station when paying for parking. This system would work similar to the Pay-and-Display system with parkers typing in their zip code and parking space number and purchase time. The parker would then keep the receipt. The parker does not have to walk back to their car, and enforcement officers do not have to inspect every car, except to verify the license plate with the appropriate fee charged. Enforcement officers can use a meter-generated report to help determine which vehicle has a valid ticket based on time. Whiting residents could either enter their zip code or have a resident card that would waive fees.

• Pay-by-License Plate – Requires the parker to enter the license plate number instead of a space number when paying for parking. The parker notes their license plate and enters the license plate number and purchase time in the machine. Enforcement officers use vehicle license plate numbers to verify which vehicles have a valid resident permit, which would require Whiting residents to register their vehicle for the parking permit or obtain a resident card. The pay station would recognize non-registered license plates from Lake County, license plates from outside Lake County, and license plates from out of state, which would then charge the appropriate parking rate. Enforcement officers can use a meter-generated report to help determine which vehicle has a valid ticket.

Alternative Option: Automated GatesThe City also wanted to evaluate the implementation and use of automated gates. These gates could potentially eliminate the need of gatehouses that the selected scenario includes. The following is an evaluation of automatic gates and their potential use within Whihala Beach the Lakefront Park.

The automated gate parking system is a self-service parking system that consists of two components, a payment kiosk and an automated gate. Used together, these two stand alone components provide full service capability to any parking lot without the need for any manned payment stations. There are two payment options when using automated gates, pay-when-you-arrive, or pay-when-you-leave.

• Pay-When-You-Arrive – Parkers must pay at the entrance kiosk by either cash or credit card. The amount charged can be determined by the parkers typing in their zip code prior to paying. Whiting residents can either type in their zip code or have a resident permit card that is inserted into the machine. After payment, a ticket is dispersed (which can be required to be placed on the dashboard), and the automatic gate is activated. The ticket would then be required to be inserted to activate the gate upon leaving the parking lot or a censored gate could be used that is activated when a car is present. This would eliminate the need for an additional kiosk at the exit lane. Automatic gates would be required at both the entrance and exit lanes to ensure parkers do not enter through the exit lane that does not have a gate. A payment kiosk would only be required at the entrance lane. Car stacking could occur at the entrance gate when multiple cars are waiting to enter the park. (As shown in Image 15).

• Pay-When-You-Leave – Parkers must receive a ticket from a kiosk upon

Image 15

Image 16

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entering. The gate is then activated. The parker must pay upon leaving at the payment kiosk. The parker may be charged based on the time parked or can be required to insert the residents zip code. Whiting residents can either type in their zip code or have a resident permit card that is inserted into the machine. After payment, the gate is activated. Automatic gates would be required at both the entrance and exit lanes to ensure parkers do not exit through the entrance lane that does not have a gate. A payment kiosk would only be required at the exit lane and a ticket kiosk would be required at the entrance lane. A ticket does nt have to be required upon entrance if parked time is not a concern. A motion activated gate could then allow cars through the entrance lane when a car is present. Car stacking could occur at the exit gate when multiple cars are waiting to exit the park.

Wayfinding Recommendations (Lakefront Park Section)To ensure visitors can efficiently navigate to various attractions throughout Whiting, the Wayfinding Signage Program should be expanded to include wayfinding signage at locations where park visitors exit the Lakefront Park. Directional wayfinding signage directing visitors to the 119th Street Shopping District, Whiting Public Schools, 117th Street Parks, and Standard Diamonds should be considered at the following locations. (Refer to Figure 30 for Wayfinding locations)

• Exit of Lakefront Park along 117th Street

• Exit of Lakefront Park along Front Street

Figure 30: Lakefront Park Revenue Scenario Map

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Area ATotal Public Spaces: 95Handicap Spaces: TBD

Area BTotal Public Spaces: 154Handicap Spaces: TBD


On Street

On Street - Time Restricted

Paystation and Gatehouse Scenarios

GF Paystation, Scenario 1: All Paystations

kj Gatehouse, Scenario 2: Gatehouse with Paystations

GF Paystation, Scenario 2: Gatehouse with Paystations

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Lakefront Park Revenue Scenarios

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Area CTotal Public Spaces (Time Restricted): 16Handicap Spaces: TBD

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There are a total of 111 on-street parking spaces currently planned within the Lakefront Park. Of those, 16 are reserved for 15 minute parking. One accessible parking space will be required within this time restricted area. The remaining 95 on-street parking spaces throughout the park will require four accessible parking spaces.

There are a total of 154 off-street parking spaces currently planned within the Lakefront Park. Six accessible spaces will be required within the off-street parking lot to meet ADA Standards.

Whihala Beach Based on the chosen parking system strategy of using a combination of gatehouses and pay stations, Whihala Beach will continue to use the existing gatehouse that currently exists at the entrance off Park Road and the existing gatehouse at the western entrance. Whihala Beach currently has an exit-only road that exits directly onto Park Road. To prevent beach users from driving

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Figure 31: Whihala Beach wayfinding signage

CONCLUSIONS

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through the exit and by-passing the gatehouse to pay, a tire strip exists. One-way tire strips are used to enforce one-way traffic. When a vehicle approaches from the correct direction, the teeth retract, allowing the vehicle to pass freely. When approached from the opposite direction, the teeth lock up denying access and risking tire damage. Tire strips are a drastic measure to enforce one-way traffic and can delay emergency vehicles by forcing them through the entrance way when the exit (with the tire strips) may be the quicker route. Automated gates are a safer and reliable enforcement tool for one-way routes, especially at exit-ways. Automated gates prevent cars from entering from the opposite direction. Cars are allowed out when they approach the automated gate and the car is detected. The gate is then activated.

Wayfinding Recommendations (Whihala Beach Section)To ensure visitors can efficiently navigate to various attractions throughout Whiting, the Wayfinding Signage Program should be expanded to include wayfinding signage at locations where beach visitors are existing Whihala Beach. Directional wayfinding signage directing visitors to the Lakefront Park, 119th Street Shopping District, Whiting Public Schools, 117th Street Park, and Standard Diamonds should be considered at the following locations:

• Exit of Whihala Beach at the West Entrance/Exit Gate

• Exit of Whihala Beach at the East Exit Gate


There are three separate off-street parking lots within the Whihala Beach study area. The eastern most lot, closest to Lakefront Park currently accommodates 52 trailered vehicles. Three ADA spaces are required.

The long middle parking lot has a total of 209 spaces and provides 3 accessible spaces. ADA Standards require a minimum of 7 spaces. At least four additional accessible spaces are required within this lot.

The westernmost parking lot has a total of 71 spaces with 4 accessible spaces, which meets ADA Standards.

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