BOZEMAN - Over the past couple of years, the parking situation in downtown Bozeman hasn't been too great, finding a parking spot can even be challenging. Now the city conducted a study this past summer to look at some of those problems and how to fix them.
“Parking in Bozeman is popular,” says Mike Veselik, Economic Development Program Manager for the City of Bozeman.
In 10 years, according to a study, the population of Bozeman grew by more than 15,000 people with more people moving to the area, more development, and more tourism. It's beginning to put a strain on the city’s parking system.
“We did it on a weekday and on a weekend so we were getting an accurate capturing of what the parking situation is in Bozeman,” says Veselik.
Some of the recommendations from the study presented to the city could help alleviate the pressure that is being put on the city’s parking.
“The recommendations had everything from constructing more supply, looking at new ways for lots of new ways to encourage multi-modal transportation,” says Veselik.
The other area that the study looks at is maximizing the efficacy of parking especially when it comes to the number of people who re-park their cars downtown
“You typically see one of two situations somebody who knows downtown and knows there is a two hour and at one hour and 59 minutes they go move their car from one spot to another,” says Veselik.
Now that the study has been finalized his team is working to present recommendations to the city commission
“We will start to put together the work we are going to need to do to implement what the city recommends”
Veselik says that in order to maximize the ease for everyone he wants to present the commission with recommendations that are beneficial for everyone.
“What we are looking to create with the program is options for every user,” says Veselik.
Now the parking divisions still have yet to compile all the recommendations from the study, once they do that they will then present that to the city commission come late January.
