COUNCIL DISTRICT: Citywide
1. Adoption
of an amendment to the Master Parking Rate Resolution extending the clean-air
vehicle free parking pilot program at City parking facilities and on-street
parking meters for two years to April 30, 2005, and expansion of the program to
include free parking for all clean-fuel vehicles, including hybrid vehicles,
purchased through a licensed auto dealership in the City of San José, and
authorizing the Director of Transportation to extend the program annually
thereafter and extend to vehicles using other emerging alternative fuel
technology.
2.
Adoption of an ordinance that authorizes the Director of
Transportation to designate and enforce reserved parking spaces for Zero
Emission Vehicles in both privately owned and City owned and/or operated
parking facilities.
BACKGROUND
In April 2001, the City Council
established a two-year pilot program providing free parking incentives to
clean-air vehicles in San José.
Clean-air vehicles are generally alternative fuel vehicles, including
Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV’s – electric vehicles), Ultra-Low and
Super-Ultra-Low Emission Vehicles (ULEV’s, SULEV’s – e.g. compressed natural
gas) that meet the EPA’s Inherently Low Emission Vehicle standards. Vehicles must display the “Clean Air
Vehicle” sticker issued by the DMV, which parking staff uses to distinguish the
vehicles from standard automobiles.
Marketing efforts undertaken to promote the program, include:
q
Press releases at the onset of the pilot program and an
articles in Downtown newsletters
q
Signage at off-street parking facilities
q
Communications with clean air groups, including the
RAV4 EV car club and the Electric Automobile Association of Silicon Valley
q
Information posted on www.sjdowntownparking.com
On February 4, 2003, the City Council
approved the Mayor’s budget strategy that contained a focus on economic
stimulus and emphasized the critical need to work closely with the community to
achieve economic solutions. To continue
the encouragement of clean-air vehicles, reduce auto emissions, and increase
activity in the Downtown, staff recommends an extension of the program for an
additional two years. Staff also
recommends an expansion of the program to include all clean-fuel vehicles,
which includes new hybrid vehicles, purchased within the City to encourage the
acquisition of these fuel-efficient vehicles.
To date, the utilization of the free parking
incentive program has been limited, due to the small number of clean-air
vehicles when compared to the overall number of standard automobiles. Some of the City's parking lots, however, do
accommodate regular clean-air vehicle customers who take advantage of free
parking. The San Fernando/2nd and 3rd
Street lots receive up to 10 ZEV’s and CNG-fueled vehicles per month. The Market Street Garage almost daily
accommodates two frequent users.
Additionally, staff has observed a handful of ZEVs (fewer than 10
different vehicles) utilizing meter parking at a typical rate of five
occurrences per week, primarily in the following areas:
q
San Jose State University @ S. 10th Street
and San Antonio Streets
q
Meters around St. James Park
and San Pedro Square
q
Meters in Japantown
Since utilization has been limited, the resulting revenue impact has been
negligible. Extending this program
provides a very low-cost method for the City to demonstrate its environmental
leadership by encouraging the use of environmentally friendly transportation
alternatives.
Manufacturing trends have negatively impacted the attractiveness of Zero
Emission Vehicles, both in terms of cost and functionality, which has in turn
resulted in low utilization of the free parking program. Currently, there are no such models
available to the consumer for new car purchases. Even with modifications to the original California ZEV program
requirements established in 1990, automobile manufacturers were never able to
successfully market and sell these vehicles at the rate needed to reach the
targets set by the State.
In March 2003, the State of California announced amendments to the state
ZEV Program regulations, which essentially eliminated the requirement for car
manufacturers to reach a level of 10% of new car sales as zero-emitting by
2003. The focus has now shifted towards
the use of Partial ZEVs (PZEVs), also known as hybrid vehicles, which operate
using a combination of fuel and electric power. These hybrid vehicles fall under the larger umbrella of clean-fuel
vehicles, which are eligible for federal tax credits on individual income tax
returns. Several of these models are
gaining in popularity, including the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight, and a version
of the Honda Civic. Several models by
other manufacturers are scheduled for release in future years.
Based on these manufacturing
trends, and to encourage the sale of clean-fuel vehicles at San José
dealerships, the pilot program should be expanded to include all clean-fuel
vehicles purchased in San José. San
José dealerships will distribute a simple application to new car owners who
apply to the Department of Transportation for a no-cost permit sticker that
will identify the vehicle and enable the driver to obtain free parking
Downtown. The project will be
retroactive to January 1, 2003. Under
the proposed resolution, the Director of Transportation may extend the program
to other emerging alternative fuel technologies as they are developed.
The new Fourth
Street Garage and Convention Center Garage contain reserved parking spaces for
ZEV’s. These vehicles require frequent
re-fueling at special charging stations.
Staff recommends that the Council adopt an ordinance authorizing
reserved off-street parking spaces for ZEV’s and the subsequent enforcement of
these reserved parking spaces.
Ongoing education about the
incentive program will be undertaken through cost-effective utilization of the
City’s website, www.sjdowntownparking.com, and modifications to the
signage at off-street parking facilities, as well as promotional activities
with San José car dealerships through the Office of Economic Development. The Mayor’s Office intends to conduct a
press conference detailing the incentive program for hybrid vehicles at a local
San José car dealership.
This memorandum has been
coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office, Office of Economic Development,
and the Environmental Services Department.
COST IMPLICATIONS
At this time, there is a
negligible cost/revenue impact. As the
utilization of hybrid vehicles increases, future cost and revenue impacts
beyond the pilot period will be analyzed by the Director of Transportation
annually to determine the duration of the program.
CEQA
Not a project.
JAMES R. HELMER, Director
Department of Transportation