Welcome: Purpose and Need of Pilot
Welcome to the goBerkeley SmartSpace Parking Pilot online open house!
The goBerkeley SmartSpace parking pilot project is exploring ways to reduce emissions and avoidable parking citations associated with the “two-hour shuffle,” improve parking availability, and provide more travel options for residents, employees, and visitors in the Southside/Telegraph and Elmwood neighborhoods.
This Online Open House contains information about how parking is currently managed in the two pilot areas and presents changes that would be studied during the pilot period. Based on community engagement in fall 2021 and spring 2022, the City has developed new recommendations for the pilot program.
In the Elmwood pilot area, we would implement a merchant employee parking pass program, and establish a merchant-supported transit pass program for employees. In the Southside/Telegraph pilot area, we would implement a smaller visitor paid parking program closer to the UC Campus, encourage local merchant employee parking in the City-owned Telegraph Channing Garage, and establish a merchant-supported transit pass program for employees. With City Council approval to proceed with the new recommendations, we will launch the program in summer 2022.
Your input is essential to creating a successful project. We will continue to engage with the community over the course of the pilot to understand the effects of the new recommendations and make adjustments as needed. Thank you for your continued interest and participation.
This pilot project is funded in part by a grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) under the Climate Initiatives Program, which seeks to identify effective ways of reducing transportation related greenhouse gas emissions.
From 2013-2015, Berkeley implemented the goBerkeley pilot project, which used demand-based pricing and longer time limits to free up parking space, reduce congestion, and improve the parking experience in the Downtown Berkeley, Southside/Telegraph, and Elmwood commercial districts. goBerkeley was adopted as a permanent program in 2015 and is now used to manage parking citywide.
During the pilot, the City received feedback from merchants, employees, and residents about a persistent problem in Residential Preferential Parking (RPP) permit areas: the “two-hour shuffle,” which occurs when folks without permits leave work and search for parking every two hours to avoid a citation for exceeding posted (two-hour) time limits. In 2016, the City received a grant to study whether goBerkeley parking tools could be used to manage shared residential parking spaces in a way benefiting all users, and identify ways to reduce reliance on car commuting.
The SmartSpace pilot project began public outreach and data collection in fall 2019 and was delayed for over a year due to the pandemic. Surveys and door-to-door visits with merchants and employees confirmed that the “two-hour shuffle” continued to pose problems. Some merchants reported paying high citation fees for themselves or their employees, or employees leaving in the middle of work or appointments to move their cars. The constant interruptions caused lost productivity and extra stress.
Through this project, the City seeks insights into the best ways to serve the residents, employees, and visitors who are currently sharing residential street parking spaces during the day.
- Reduce occurrences of the “two-hour shuffle” to:
- Reduce inconvenience for local merchants and employees
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with this behavior
- Improve parking availability in residential areas around the Elmwood and Southside/Telegraph commercial districts
- Increase information about and/or facilitate access to alternatives to driving and parking
- Improve customer service and technology related to the City’s parking program
The City seeks to manage visitor demand for parking in the Elmwood & Southside/Telegraph residential areas using strategies that will effectively achieve project goals. In response to community feedback, the City has developed several new strategies to be studied under the pilot. The initial concepts presented to the community in November 2021 are no longer under consideration.
Based on spring 2022 community feedback, the City has identified final recommendations for the pilot. In the Elmwood pilot area, we would implement a merchant employee parking pass program, and establish a merchant-supported transit pass program for employees. In the Southside/Telegraph pilot area, we would implement a smaller visitor paid parking program closer to the UC Campus, encourage local merchant employee parking in the City-owned Telegraph Channing Garage, and establish a merchant-supported transit pass program for employees. If approved by the City Council on June 28, 2022, staff will work to implement these strategies as part of the pilot program later this summer.
The City has confirmed with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission that these new strategies are eligible to study under our grant.
Not necessarily, but it may inform how the City manages parking in the future.
During the pilot, the City will collect data on how parking is being used in residential areas, including how frequently the “two-hour shuffle” is taking place, to evaluate the project’s effects. If the pilot is successful in achieving project goals, then staff may recommend making some or all of the changes permanent. If the pilot is not successful, then staff may recommend reverting to pre-pilot conditions. By testing new/alternate parking management strategies in residential areas, the project’s findings may also inform wider changes to the City's Residential Preferential Parking (RPP) Program.
The SmartSpace project is a pilot testing how parking and travel demand management strategies can reduce the “two-hour shuffle” and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
Initial data was collected in October 2021, and data is planned to be collected two more times: during the pilot (tentatively fall 2022), and after the pilot concludes (tentatively spring 2023).
The City is collecting the following data to evaluate the pilot’s effects:
- Parking occupancy, to understand how full or empty spaces are.
- Parking duration of stay, to understand how long vehicles with or without RPP permits are parked.
- Parking search time, which models the expected path of travel of a visitor searching for parking, providing the time/distance traveled to find an available spot. This data will be used to estimate greenhouse gas emissions.
We are also exploring other methods of quantifying the “two hour shuffle” that would be incorporated into future rounds of data collection.

Events
Thank you for those who joined our recent online community meetings! Continue to visit this website to stay updated.
Previously held meetings:
- Elmwood Area: November 16, 2021
- Southside/Telegraph Area: November 17, 2021
- City of Berkeley Transportation Commission: November 18, 2021
- Community-led Forum: December 8, 2021
- Elmwood Area: December 15, 2021
- Southside/Telegraph Area: December 16, 2021
- Elmwood Area: April 27, 2022
- Southside/Telegraph Area: April 28, 2022
- Public Meeting for Elmwood & Southside Areas: May 2, 2023
- City of Berkeley Transportation Commission: May 18, 2023
For past meeting notes and more materials, see the Additional Resources section on this site.
Explore the pilot areas
The image carousels below present information about how visitor parking is currently managed in the two pilot areas.
Elmwood pilot area
Based on community concerns about the conceptual proposal, the city is evaluating alternate options for reducing the “two-hour shuffle” in the Elmwood pilot area, such as permits for some employees. Visitor paid parking will no longer be considered as an option in the Elmwood area as part of the SmartSpace pilot project. We are working with our grant funders to determine flexibility and/or a change in the scope to test alternatives to this concept.

This is the Elmwood SmartSpace Pilot Area. The City will be studying ways that visitor parking can be managed on residential streets in this area in support of project goals. Staff will monitor and collect parking data within this area to evaluate the success of the pilot.

Existing residential parking restrictions shape the way that residents, local employees, and visitors engage with parking within the pilot area.
RPP Permit Zone |
Enforcement |
Special Restrictions |
Area A |
Mon – Sat 8 AM – 7 PM |
UC Berkeley game days: Double fine amounts |
Area B |
Mon – Sat 8 AM – 7 PM |
UC Berkeley game days: $225 fine for non-permit holders (North of Russell Street) |
Area D |
Mon – Sat 8 AM – 7 PM |
UC Berkeley game days: $225 fine for non-permit holders (North of Russell Street) |
Area L |
Mon – Fri 8 AM – 7 PM |
N/A |

The goBerkeley program is currently used to manage public parking in the Elmwood commercial district. Prices are periodically adjusted to achieve 1-2 available spaces per block (65-85% full) so visitors do not need to cruise or circle for a spot, which leads to distracted driving and traffic congestion. Prices are higher and time limits shorter in “Premium” areas, where demand is highest, while lower-demand areas (“Value” areas) have lower prices and longer time limits.
Southside/Telegraph pilot area

This is the Southside/Telegraph SmartSpace Pilot Area. The City will be studying ways that visitor parking can be managed on residential streets in this area in support of project goals. Staff will monitor and collect parking data within this area to evaluate the success of the pilot.

Existing residential parking restrictions shape the way that residents, local employees, and visitors engage with parking within the pilot area.
RPP Permit Zone |
Enforcement |
Special Restrictions |
Area B |
Mon – Sat 8 AM – 7 PM |
UC Berkeley game day restriction: $225 fine for non-permit holders |
Area D |
Mon – Sat 8 AM – 7 PM |
UC Berkeley game day restriction: depending on location, either tow away or $225 fine for non-permit holders |
Area I |
Mon – Fri 8 AM – 7 PM |
UC Berkeley game day restriction: depending on location, either tow away for non-permit holders OR no parking for all |
Area J |
Mon – Fri 8 AM – 7 PM |
N/A |

The goBerkeley program is currently used to manage public parking in the Southside/Telegraph commercial district. Prices are periodically adjusted to achieve 1-2 available spaces per block (65-85% full) so visitors do not need to cruise or circle for a spot, which leads to distracted driving and traffic congestion. Prices are higher and time limits shorter in “Premium” areas, where demand is highest, while lower-demand areas (“Value” areas) have lower prices and longer time limits.
How to use these image carousels
- Click through the images to learn how parking is currently managed in the two pilot areas.
- If you are on a device with a small screen, touch each image in the carousel and zoom in to see more information.
More Information
Our Promise
As part of the engagement process for this project, the City of Berkeley promises to:
- Inform the community about the process and how we will use their feedback develop the SmartSpace pilot.
- Collect ongoing feedback from the community both online and in person (if possible) throughout the project’s entirety.
- Use all community feedback collected through this engagement process to inform the development of the City’s parking policy, thus improving the City’s overall transportation network.
- Report back to the community on how we considered and used all feedback.
Our Committees
The Community Advisory Group (CAG) members provide feedback on the development and evaluation of the pilot project, guide public outreach and engagement efforts, act as liaisons to specific communities or interest groups, and encourage community members to participate in the process. All members were evaluated via an application process in Dec. 2019, Jan. 2020, and Aug. - Oct. 2021. The first CAG meeting was held on Feb. 13, 2020. After a delay in the project due to the pandemic, the second CAG meeting was held on Oct. 28, 2021 from 3 – 5 p.m. Meeting notes will be available on this site.
The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) consists primarily of representatives from City Departments that the project will affect. This includes 311 Customer Service, Police Parking Enforcement, Economic Development, Public Works Transportation Division, and the City Manager’s Office. The TAC will review project materials and advise on technical and operational matters throughout the project. TAC meetings are not open to the public.
Additional Resources
Want to learn more about the pilot program? Please see below for more information and links to different resources:
- Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting #1 notes | February 13, 2020
- Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting #2 notes | October 28, 2021 (read in 18 pt. font or read in 12 pt. font)
- Community-led forum meeting notes | December 8, 2021
- Elmwood Community Meetings
- Meeting Notes | November 16, 2021
- Meeting Notes | December 15, 2021
- Meeting Presentation | December 15, 2021
- Meeting Notes | April 27, 2022
- Southside/Telegraph Community Meetings
- Meeting Notes | November 17, 2021
- Meeting Notes | December 16, 2021
- Meeting Presentation | December 16, 2021
- Meeting Notes | April 28, 2022
Official documents and technical information:
- May 18 2023 Transportation Commission presentation
- May 2 2023 Public Meeting presentation
- October 2022 update: Southside visitor paid parking pilot
- goBerkeley SmartSpace grant*
*Please note this grant was written and submitted to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) in 2015 for the Climate Initiatives Program and at the time was referred to as the Residential Shared Parking Pilot. In response to neighborhood concerns, the City is working with the MTC to test alternate options in support of project goals. - Existing conditions memo - coming soon!
- Survey response from previous outreach efforts | Residential Survey in English and Spanish & Business Owner and Employee Survey in English and Spanish
- Previous goBerkeley materials/handouts, fact sheets, frequently asked questions
- Transportation Commission meeting presentation | November 18, 2021
- Parking Analysis | October, 2021
Additional Resources
Want to learn more about the pilot program? Please see below for more information and links to different resources:
- Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting #1 notes | February 13, 2020
- Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting #2 notes | October 28, 2021 (read in 18 pt. font or read in 12 pt. font)
- Elmwood community meeting notes | November 16, 2021
- Southside/Telegraph community meeting notes | November 17, 2021
Official documents and technical information:
- goBerkeley SmartSpace grant*
*Please note this grant was written and submitted to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) in 2015 for the Climate Initiatives Program and at the time was referred to as the Residential Shared Parking Pilot. In response to neighborhood concerns, the City is currently seeking approval for flexibility and/or a change in the scope to allow us to test alternate options in support of project goals. - Existing conditions memo - coming soon!
- Survey response from previous outreach efforts | Residential Survey in English and Spanish & Business Owner and Employee Survey in English and Spanish
- Previous goBerkeley materials/handouts, fact sheets, frequently asked question’s
- Transportation Commission meeting presentation | November 18, 2021
Project Timeline
The parking pilot project began in fall 2019 and will continue until 2023.
Timeline
Fall 2021/Winter 2022
Data collection, survey
Develop pilot with community input
Spring 2022
Seek approval for final pilot proposal
Fall 2022
Project implementation
Winter 2022/23
Collect data & identify possible changes in Southside
Mid 2023
Final data collection & survey
Develop final report for Council
Fall 2023
Pilot ends