| A
Change of Attitude |
| In mid April a "charrette" was held in Herndon to identify
opportunities for development and growth management in Herndon.
|
| A charrette is a meeting of a group of people to discuss,
in Herndon's case, the future of items of civic interest.
One item that was indisputable was that without proper parking
in the downtown area, development there will be limited. |
| People drive cars, and people need to have a place to park
them while shopping or eating. And with no public transportation
in Herndon, cars are everywhere. Big cars, mostly, with few
places to park them. We have created that problem by ourselves. |
| The problem is not new to Herndon, and the town has done
little to solve the problem, except for the development of
the "temporary" parking lot behind the depot. Businesses wanting
to develop property in the downtown must pay into a parking
fund of sorts to establish parking locations. A parking garage,
an unattractive alternative, has often been discussed. |
| But the parking problem goes beyond just where to put cars
while people eat and shop. The greatest problem is our reliance
on the automobile in the first place. Few people ride bikes,
or walk, or car pool to places. How often have I seen three
couples, for instance, driving three separate cars to meet
at a restaurant for dinner. The problem is obvious: Three
cars take more room than one. |
| We also like to drive big carsäreally big cars. SUVs, Lincoln
Town Cars, Cadillacs and even pickups that are just 12 wheels
away from being an 18-wheel semi. Two SUVs take the parking
space of three cars. |
| However, not all people are car hogs who drive their cars
two blocks to the grocery store. I have seen many people walking
to Herndon's downtown for dinner at Sylvanna's, or bike to
Great Harvest Bread for a loaf of raisin-cinnamon. Most of
those people live nearby the downtown, and it is easier for
them to get to the downtown without a car. |
| While I also see some of the people who work in the downtown
walk to work, I also know of at least one downtown manager
who would rather rent a parking space near his business rather
than walk the extra block from the town's temporary parking
lot. |
| On a recently completed trip to Germany, I found little
sympathy from people there for the high gasoline prices Americans
are now experiencing. "It's about time," many told me. |
| Four dollars and more for a gallon of gas has been the norm
in Europe for years, and the results of that have been better
public transportation, smaller cars and more cooperative car
pooling. |
| After driving for two weeks in Germany and Austria, I saw
only one SUV. Many families have a tiny "town car" for local
errands, and a road car for those trips on the Autobahn. Makes
sense to me. I also found that local zoning ordinances made
it possible to squeeze in a parking spot where ever there
was room. If your car was too big, tough luck. |
| Part of the answer to Herndon's parking problems will come
from a change in American's attitudes about their cars and
driving. More creative solutions from the townämulti-use development,
for instanceäto the consumer's willingness to drive less,
car pool, and not have three big cars in the drive way will
go a long way in securing our way of life. |
| President Bush isn't helping matters much. He said last
week that government should protect the American way of life,
which includes the right to buy and drive big, gas-guzzling
cars. |
| He should take this time of high gasoline prices to push
for conservation of fuel, public transportation, and to make
people aware that with the American way of life that he wants
to protect comes an obligation of sacrifice. |
| Involved in the "charrette" brainstorming session in Herndon
was David Wilcox of Los Angeles' Economic Research Association,
Dick Kaku of Santa Monica's Kaku Association, Frank Fuller
of San Francisco's Field Paoli Architects and Mark Gibb, the
executive director of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission.
Members of the Town Council, Planning Commission, and Herndon
Preservation Review Board also participated in the discussions. |
| "We want to understand the amount of development that is
sustainable in the downtown area and how much parking will
be needed to support that," said Kay Robinson, Herndon's senior
planner. |
| Little was said about our own attitudes. We all must join
to solve our transportation, parking and environmental problems,
not only in Herndon, but throughout the world. |
| And that's Our Town this week. |
