14-044 Parking Garage Access Control - RFP

OVERVIEW:
The City of Naples 5th Avenue District is well known as a walkable downtown “Main Street” with high quality shopping and dining opportunities. As the popularity has grown, so too has the demand for parking. Two public parking garages offering free parking have been constructed in the District, the first in 1998 and the second in 2008. The amount of available parking general exceeds the demand; however, the demand for parking exceeds capacity during (1) special events occurring in the District, and (2) at times in the evening dining period during the winter visitor season (January through April). While both garages originally offered an electronic vehicle counting system controlled by inductive loop magnetic sensors, the systems have stopped working, and never functioned with acceptable accuracy. In addition, the “full” indicator signage installed may not be sufficiently visible to inform potential users of the garage status and parking available. When the garages reach capacity, potential users are not informed and enter the garage to find a space. Drivers enter a long queue only to drive to the top level and become frustrated that no spaces are available. This frustration is aggravated by the  necessity to turn around in a confined space and then enter a long queue proceeding to the exit.