Reinventing Parking is the official podcast of the Parking Reform Network! Why not join?
On November 2, 2023, the Austin City Council voted to end parking mandates, making Austin Texas the largest municipality in the USA to do so. So far.
I had a discussion with three of the key people from the Austin Parking Reform Coalition who worked to make it happen. They were Leah Bojo, Jay Crossley and Adam Greenfield.
Think of it as a Master Class for aspiring parking reform advocates!
Here is an outline:
- Brief summary of the whole story, especially the beginnings [2:52]
- Were Austin's parking mandates unusual? [7:04]
- A broad coalition against parking mandates [7:44]
- Institutional and financial infrastructure for the coalition [9:49]
- How important was the parking reform network? [10:46]
- American Disabilities Act (ADA) parking when abolishing parking mandates [12:48]
- The role of people inside city hall, such as city staff [15:58]
- The time was right [17:24]
- Advice for newbie or disheartened parking reformers [18:45]
- Dealing with pushback [22:54]
- Link parking reform with wider reforms or do it as a stand-alone reform? [25:49]
- Which comes first, off-street reform or on-street parking management? [29:35]
- Support across the political spectrum? [32:47]
- If car dependent Austin can abolish parking mandates, any city can. [34:34]
You can read a lightly edited transcript here.
