What is a parklet?

Downtown Raleigh has more parking availability than most cities, with parking decks usually only half full. The myth is perpetuated by those that harbor an unrealistic view of downtown parking, that it should somehow be given away for free and always available in front of their destination.

johnhinnc , FYI. ... photo by Eric Lamb.

A place to park bikes. Good thing.

Downtown Raleigh does not have a parking problem. There is, however, a perception problem in that some believe parking in downtown needs to be the same as parking for free in a strip mall or in a different suburban area right in front of where a person wants to go. In reality, this is never the case for any higher density urban environment, and if you compare downtown Raleigh with other cities, we are way better off.

This parklet actually helps foster additional ways of people interacting and going through downtown that make sense for the density in the area and for the lifestyle that the urban core of the city wants to attract. There are plenty of parking options today both on and off the street in our parking decks.

As everyone else has said, there's no shortage of car parking spaces downtown. Also, the city added 2 new car parking spaces a block away, so your concern was addressed.

Lastly, keep in mind that this parklet provides parking for 10+ bicycles in the space of a single car. This parklet greatly increases parking downtown.

A "parklet" is not a bike parking area, but can be many things. A business can setup a display and can have people in the area to answer question about their products.

I like the discussion of solutions to problems. SCF.com is not limited to fixing sidewalks and garbage issues. Please see the 3 Basic Principles under the Tools Section: Empowerment, Engagement and Efficiency.

I've referred this to our Public Works Department. When the staff has had a chance to respond I’ll post an update. Thanks for reporting.

This actually being handled by the Urban Design Center and they have responded. The City of Raleigh Urban Design Center is preparing research on best practices and will provide a report to the City Council within 3 months that will investigate issues and opportunities of allowing "parklets" to occur in the right of way in certain circumstances and within a defined set of design guidelines. Removing a parking space, while a potential possibility, is not the only location that will be considered during this study. While its very early in the process, the solution will certainly take into account the many competing needs in our downtown and urban centers.