Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Nightlife to Network: Piloting "PUDO" Zones in the District of Columbia
Background
As use of ride-hailing services increased, streets with high concentrations of restaurants and nightlife in the District of Columbia experienced increased rates of double parking and conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles. Local businesses, the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District, and the District Department of Transportation collaborated to pilot a pick-up and drop-off zone (PUDO) along a busy commercial corridor equipped with ParkMobile parking meters. To create the PUDO zone, parking was prohibited from 10 PM to 7 AM Thursday through Saturday.
The objectives of the pilot were to:
- Increase Safety: Facilitate safe and efficient movement of people and goods to and from the curbside.
- Increase Curbside Efficiency and Utilization: Reduce curbside turnover time, decrease queue lengths, and increase trip completion.
- Improve Traffic Control: Make space for all modes to interact with the curbside while improving throughput.
Lessons Learned
DDOT found that towing was necessary to realize the full benefits of PUDO zones. The success of the pilot has led the District to install additional PUDO zones across the city. Lesson learned and things to consider:
- Need for tow enforcement.
- Need for a standard design to resolve ADA accessibility challenges.
- Need to resolve commercial loading zone conflicts. Consider allowing commercial loading in no parking zones.
- Some zones warrant complete removal of metered parking.
- Need for simple and concise regulations and signage.
