Priority Parking for Hybrids?

July 14, 2009, 8:17 am
Priority Parking for Hybrids?
By Kate Galbraith

Thomas McDonald for The New York Times

A library in Connecticut caused a ruckus by setting aside “preferred” parking spots for hybrid vehicles.

In a post today on The New York Times’s new “You’re the Boss” small-business blog, Jay Goltz discusses how the Whole Foods grocery store near his home in Chicago has set aside several prime parking spots for hybrid vehicles.

Should stores earn points toward “green” certification simply by providing priority parking for hybrid car owners? Share your thoughts.

“Has Whole Foods become our mother?” Mr. Goltz asks.

Ashley Hawkins, a spokeswoman for Whole Foods, said that priority parking for hybrids is not a company wide policy.

But the concept is spreading — including at several other Whole Foods stores.

According to Ashley Katz, a spokeswoman for the United States Green Building Council, allowing alternative-fuel vehicles special parking privileges is an easy way to earn three points toward the total of 40 needed for basic LEED certification, the organization’s green-building stamp of approval.

“It’s a very popular practice,” Ms. Katz said.

It is also controversial.

In Connecticut, as The Times reported in May, the Darien library (a LEED “gold” building) retreated from its policy of reserving prime parking spots for hybrids after a backlash.

“I have no problem with parking spaces for the elderly or for a young parent with an infant or handicapped drivers,” said George Zengo, a 74-year-old local, according to the article. “But this is over the top.”

The Chicago Tribune reports that hybrids also get priority spots at a local Ikea and a Home Depot.

And several other Whole Foods stores also have reserved parking for fuel efficient vehicles (though it may not necessarily be up front), according to Ms. Hawkins. These include stores in Naperville, Ill.; Dallas; Toronto; and Boulder, Colo., with plans in the works for a store in Dedham, Mass.

A Whole Foods in Centennial, Colo., has four electric car plug-in spaces, and a Philadelphia store has spots for a car-sharing program.

From Green Inc.
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From 1 to 25 of 55 Comments
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1. July 14, 2009
9:14 am

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I can see how hybrid spots are out of place at a store like home depot - where many customers have to drive big trucks and SUVs so they can haul away their purchases. But this comes directly from the Whole Foods mission statement “reducing waste and consumption of non-renewable resources.” Reserving spots for hybrids encourages people to buy them, which fits in perfectly with their business plan.
In many states, hybrids have HOV privileges even if there is only one person in the car because the point of HOV lanes is the discourage wasteful use of resources.

— Another David

2. July 14, 2009
9:20 am

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Be careful not to drown in a cloud of excess smug emissions.

— Tom

3. July 14, 2009
10:08 am

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I am not sure I understand why this is even worth mentioning. I can see where conceptually someone would have an issue with priority spots being given to drivers by virtue of the car they drive rather then by something like physical disabilities or limitations; but maybe someone with a LEED certification could clarify just how many spots we are talking about here. If I was under the impression that priority spots translates to something like 1 spot for every 100 parking spaces or something along those lines. I know it’s certainly not a 1 to 1 trade-off. If home deport chooses to allocate 5 or even 10 parking spaces spread out across their parking lot is it really going to be that much of an inconvenience anyone who ends up walking the extra 10 feet that parking space is taking up? Even with something like a library, if it’s only 1 or 2 spots, assuming a small parking lot, how much of an inconvenience is this actually?

Also, lets be honest here - if someone who is handicapped, or has a legal right to a close parking space parks in one of these hybrid spots it’s not like anyone is calling a tow truck.

I feel like if your willing to spend a little extra to get the hybrid, and the building is willing to spend extra to get a third party building certification (which is what LEED is) then why is it a problem (other then “fairness”) to throw a hybrid driver a bone?

— Rich

4. July 14, 2009
10:24 am

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@Rich: The LEED requirement for providing preferred parking spaces for hybrid vehicles is 5% of total parking capacity. So you’re right, it’s obviously not an inconvenience to anyone. Buildings still have to comply with by-laws to provide preferred parking for the handicapped.

@Tom: Be careful not to get too happy in a state of ignorant bliss

— Mark

5. July 14, 2009
10:28 am

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I like this idea. I don’t own a hybrid, but I could easily create a little sticker that says “hybrid” and put it on the back of my car. It’s much easier than faking being pregnant or disabled.

— David

6. July 14, 2009
10:45 am

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Many want to go green theoretically, but we are way beyond needing talk. Whole Foods and others are turning to something that really matters to Americans … choice parking spots. Why else would there be a “backlash?” How ridiculous. As soon as gas prices plummeted, people were back to looking for gas guzzlers, because for many Americans it’s still all about them. Enough. Let’s reward the people who are really making the effort to go green. It’s called incentives. We give tax breaks to corporate America all the time and I’m still listening for the backlash. You want capitalism? Then all’s fair — advertising, perks, advantage cards … you name it. Our future depends on creative folks to lead the way in environmental concerns! You go, Whole Foods!

— Jeanette Baust

7. July 14, 2009
11:33 am

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Why not. The LIRR already has some stations with preferential parking for small cars…..and of course there are HOV lanes….so why not this.

— Shantanu Mukherjee

8. July 14, 2009
12:04 pm

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I drive a 2001 diesel VW New Beetle, and it gets 40-50 MPG (EPA says 44)–better than most hybrids. I haven’t driven to one of these places, but the idea bothers me that they’re privileging the new, hip, expensive fuel-efficient cars over more affordable ways to reduce fuel consumption.

— Andrew

9. July 14, 2009
12:22 pm

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I drive a Prius, but I don’t mind walking so I doubt I would use these spots.

I think that hybrid development has pretty much run its course, improvements have been made and the cars are pretty mainstream. If you really want to support efficient vehicles of the future then designate electric vehicle parking spots.

— paulwesterberg

10. July 14, 2009
12:51 pm

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I myself drive a Honda Insight, but I don’t support this notion of reserved parking for hybrids. It alienates those driving conventional cars, symbolizes that hybrids are essentially scarce in number (shouldn't the parking lot eventually be filled with hybrids?), and does nothing to actually influence someone to go out and get a new gas-saving car. When the tipping point eventually comes for hybrids and other clean technology cars, it will not be because of accessible parking spaces but instead it will probably come down to simple dollars and cents.

— Mike Wright

11. July 14, 2009
12:52 pm

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My new bumper sticker: Smug beats Smog.

— Leslie

12. July 14, 2009
12:55 pm

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The problem with this sort of rigid requirement, to me, is that the best hybrids are only slightly more fuel efficient than the best conventional motored cars. Simply driving a hybrid is no guarantee of having a virtuous carbon footprint.

So some guy in a Lexus hybrid SUV that struggles to get 25 mpg gets a spot by the door, while the person in the Jetta TDI that gets near 50mpg parks in the corner?

I think we need to be careful to remember that the energy you consume driving around isn’t the only energy to consider - there’s also the energy embedded in the production of your car. We don’t want to create incentives for people to ditch lightweight, efficient cars and replace them with production-energy-intensive, (occasionally) slightly more efficient cars, right? That sure doesn’t pencil out on my envelope.

Now, the plug-in spots make a lot of sense.

— Brian

13. July 14, 2009
1:32 pm

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I love the Hybrid/Eco-Friendly parking spots at the new Whole Foods — they are always open, right in front of the store, and the perfect size for my Tahoe. I use them every time I shop there.

— Tom L.

14. July 14, 2009
1:42 pm

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Wow! I actually think this is a good idea. Why not reward people for using cars that are better for the environment? This could really take off! For car dealers, this is another good incentive to add when helping customers decide which car to buy. Its a perk! And let’s face it, Americans LOVE perks!
— Lucas

15. July 14, 2009
1:52 pm

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I think most Fresh and Easy supermarkets here in the West have four or five hybrid preferred spots. They are placed, usually, in conjunction with their “family with kids” preferred parking spaces, always just a few spaces further than the handicapped spaces.

— Political Parent

16. July 14, 2009
3:00 pm

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I gotta say, there’s a lot of proud ignorance in these messages (yes, you Tom L.)… a sure sign of insecurity and a conflicted conscience.

— Mark

17. July 14, 2009
3:48 pm

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Mark,

GM offers a hybrid Tahoe. It has 25% better mileage than the conventional model. 35% in the city, 21 mpg city versus 14 for conventional Yukon.

Peter

— peter noordijk

18. July 14, 2009
3:48 pm

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For the sake of consistency, drivers of hybrids who take advantage of such spaces should be forbidden to buy groceries that have left any climate change footprint in their growth, preparation, or packaging.

However, I will cap my purchases of such items and trade them for their spot.

— germ killer

19. July 14, 2009
3:57 pm

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I know the idea behind this is to given an incentive to those who are trying to reduce their fuel consumption, but I see two things wrong with this. Maybe somebody who is driving a hybrid is willing to walk the extra few hundred feet. I usually associate those who are trying to save the environment with those who are also health conscious. The other problem is that what happens if somebody has a full electric vehicle or hydrogen car? Do you put a sign up for all these vehicles?

Patrick
http://www.paystolivegreen.com

— Patrick

20. July 14, 2009
4:03 pm

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Mike #10:

“It alienates those driving conventional cars,”

That's the whole point isn’t it? In a more generous paraphrase is ‘it is incentive to buy hybrids’. The only issue i see here is it prioritizes hybrids over electrics and other green cars, any one of which may or may not be better depending on infrastructure and how well the car companies design the specific models.

“symbolizes that hybrids are essentially scarce in number”

Yes it does, but it also puts hybrids in a superior position to conventional cars while they are scarce. The more hybrids there are, the less this policy matters - so this policy will fade naturally over time if the hybrid route is taken.

“does nothing to actually influence someone to go out and get a new gas-saving car”

That depends on how often the driver does the groceries. Gas saving cars just save money - this added on means you save time and money. Some people are insensitive to one incentive but rarely both. That said, as time saving incentives go, this is rather small.

“When the tipping point eventually comes for hybrids and other clean technology cars, it will not be because of accessible parking spaces but instead it will probably come down to simple dollars and cents.”

Untrue. Convenience is also a big factor, which is why this is a good (albeit small) incentive.

— Sean

21. July 14, 2009
4:08 pm

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I think it is fantastic how we are using renewable energy and going green in so many ways. I think we also need to do things like reducing our energy usage, like installing geothermal heat pumps (here is an example http://geothermalexperts.net/residential_systems.html ) to replace high energy heating and cooling systems.

— Nolan

22. July 14, 2009
4:17 pm

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I think this is a much better idea than the Mothers with Strollers parking…and Tom isn’t ignorant, that’s too kind…he’s the same lazy fool who parks in a handicapped spot or hangs out at the curb while his wife shops.

— good idea

23. July 14, 2009
5:25 pm

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Peter, a hybrid Tahoe that has “25% better mileage than the conventional model. 35% in the city, 21 mpg city versus 14 for conventional Yukon.” is still an SUV. Lauding the environmental benefits of a hybrid SUV is like lauding the health benefits of cigarettes made with organic tobacco. No matter how you try to cut it, it’s still like cutting through butter with a chainsaw.

— Mark

24. July 14, 2009
5:44 pm

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I wouldn’t buy a hybrid just so I could park closer to a store which a lengthy history of treating its employees like crap. Not to mention the carbon footprint they must have, importing all of that food.

— Cheryl

25. July 14, 2009
5:54 pm

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My favorite part about this idea is not necessarily getting to park closer if one drives a hybrid, but rather making all those who park energy-inefficient cars walk farther. Saving the environment and cutting down on obesity at the same time!

— Eric