Why We Made a Video about Costco and Parking?
By Kelli Refer
We often hear complaints that there isn’t parking next to the destinations people want to visit in Downtown Redmond. But as Redmond transitions from suburb to city, expectations around parking need to shift as well.
Our team released a short video about how far we walked on a recent trip to Costco. If you’ve ever been to Costco, you know it involves a lot of walking! On our trip, we walked a half a mile inside the store, and that’s without going down every aisle. Adding the distance of walking from a parking spot in the middle of the lot, we added another .15 miles and that is assuming you got a pretty decent parking spot. In total, it’s easy to walk nearly ¾ of a mile on a trip to Costco.
Now, imagine applying that same distance to walking around Downtown Redmond. We made a map showing the equivalent distance around the soon-to-open Downtown Redmond light rail station, showing just how many destinations within the same walking radius. With new restaurants, stores, and services opening up, Downtown Redmond is growing into a vibrant, walkable community. Recently, Redmond updated its parking policies in Downtown Redmond, including a two-hour limit and paid parking for longer stays in the Redmond Central Connector lot.
These changes are modest but are intended to increase turnover of parking spots Downtown. Sometimes there won’t be a parking spot directly in front of the business you want to go to and you may need to adjust by parking farther away and walking to your destination.
As a society, we tend to expect parking to be both free and abundant. But the reality is that parking comes with a high cost- and shapes the very fabric of our cities. Our team has been diving into the topic through Henry Grabar’s Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World. If you’d like to learn more, Graber also has a great interview in this Vox article with more insights about our parking problems.
Did you know that in the United States, there are 4 parking spaces for every car? That is a massive amount of land that is vacant at any given time. This Friday, September 20th, Move Redmond is participating in Park(ing) Day, a nationwide event showing the many ways we could reimagine parking spaces in our city. Swing by from 11 AM – 1 PM near Downtown Redmond Park to grab some candy and share your ideas on better ways of occupying these public spaces. Our team will be there to provide information on transit options, biking, and listen to your feedback.
Transportation impacts everyone, especially people who do not have the option to drive. For many people with disabilities- whether they’re visually impaired, or use mobility devices like wheelchairs, canes, or walkers- it is imperative that we make our sidewalks and streets in Redmond easy to navigate. Our team is planning a Walk and Talk next week to highlight pedestrian safety near Bear Creek. We hope you join us on Wednesday, September 25th at 4:30 PM at the Mercury Coffee Shop on Union Hill Road.
The reality is when we prioritize parking we leave out many people who don’t drive. About 25% of Washingtonians do not have a driver’s license, which means we need to ensure our transportation system works for everyone, not just drivers. If you want to experience what life is like when driving isn’t an option, sign up for the Week Without Driving Challenge Sept 30th – October 6th.
Fortunately, Redmond’s future is bright with more transportation options on the way! Investments in light rail, buses, and bike infrastructure offer more choices in how you get around. Our team at Move Redmond is here to help you navigate the Eastside without stressing about parking. Check out our Station Access Map, connect with us at our booth on Park(ing) Day on 161st from 11 AM – 1 PM near Downtown Redmond Park and join our walk and talk!
