ThefutureofsmartparkinginColumbus

Downtown and the Short North are some of Columbus’ most congested neighborhoods, and the quest to find parking often creates additional congestion and emissions as drivers circle to find the right spot.  Therefore, the City of Columbus expanded the features of the ParkColumbus app to be a one-stop shop to easily find and pay for parking in garages, surface lots, and streets. 

The goal was for people to be encouraged to eat, shop, and play in the Short North and Downtown due to the ease of parking, while congestion and emissions are reduced by fewer drivers circling for parking. 

The geographic scope of the EPM project focused on providing parking availability information for parking garages, surface lots, parking meters, and loading zones in downtown Columbus and the Short North Arts District. 

The project incorporated new features into the ParkColumbus app and created a website to allow users to identify currently projected parking availability near their target destination. In addition, it aids in effectively reducing the additional driving required to find parking options. 

Between garage and surface lot parking, this project helps to reduce congestion, traveler frustration, and emissions. Overall, over there have been over 30,000 downloads and a general rating of 3.9 out of 4 app stars. New registrations have remained steady since the new features were announced in December 2019, with over 4,500 new registrations each month. 

While the EPM project was one of the smaller projects in the portfolio in terms of size, the substantial project champion from the City’s Division of Parking Services and an established vendor ensured success despite overall reductions in travel and parking following the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the city will continue to operate and maintain ParkColumbus, including the parking prediction model, going forward.