First Reported by Fredericksburg.Today
Update
City Manager Tim Baroody said he and his staff have been contacted by several city residents about the issues with the parking survey, and he wants everyone to know their input is important.
He encourages respondents to use the open-ended question at the end of the survey, to provide information beyond the survey questions.
In addition, there are additional ways to provide input, including public forums, phone calls to Mr. Baroody at 540-372-1010, and email to Transportation Administrator Erik Nelson at [email protected]
Dates for additional public forums will be announced later this week, Baroody said.
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Respondents to the City of Fredericksburg’s parking survey are voicing frustration with it’s flaws and incomplete focus.
City of Fredericksburg Parking Action Plan Study Survey
“I personally was unable to complete this survey because the limited answer choices did not allow for the complexity of my parking use downtown,” said Kevin Brown on Facebook.
“Agree that the survey could have been designed with more options or flexibility (allow more than one choice or option to type in answer),” responded Brooke K.
“Poorly designed, which gives pause about the capability of this vendor’s study,” said Jan Ryan. “Example, #10: Please identify which block(s) you visited during your most recent trip to the downtown area. The map is unreadable. C’mon. What is the city’s cost for this survey?”
Some who’ve taken the survey said they wished it addressed transportation advances, like Lyft and Uber, and self-driving cars.
“How about trying to get information on the future (longer term) parking desires,” Ryan said. “We’re on the cusp of a driving/parking revolution. The automakers see it, and are focusing on self-driving cars for purposes of ride-sharing in urban areas, and we qualify for urban in downtown. We can spend a fortune on buildings for parking cars that will shortly be obsolete, but if we do that it should be with eyes wide open. Not sure this parking study vendor is up to the task. This survey is amateurish.”
The survey is part of the city’s work with Walker Parking Consultants (Walker), to create an action plan for current and future parking needs. The project was funded by the city and the Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority (EDA), which voted unanimously in September to provide up to $15,000 in matching funds with Fredericksburg City Council.
Transportation Administrator Erik Nelson is the primary staff contact for this project, and he has been contacted by several people about the survey’s challenges. “We have notified our consultants about the issues,” he wrote in an email to a city resident. “It is apparently difficult to tweak a survey once it is up, but they will see what they can do.”
Nelson said there is an open-ended question at the end of the survey, where people can submit more specific information.
“I plan on skipping to the end, if it allows me and write my comments there,” Brown said.
Editor’s Note: Have you taken the survey? What did you think? Tell us in the comments section, or at our Facebook post.
More
City Seeks Public Input with Online Parking Survey
EDA Approves $15K for Parking Study
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