Study details downtown Bloomington's parking problem, outlines plan

There are 56 blocks in the study area, numbered and colored, with green designating a block with adequate on-street parking, according to industry standards. Colors follow the spectrum to red, which designates blocks where drivers usually find frustration rather than a place to park.

One map represents a weekday count, the second a weekend day. The weekday map shows half the blocks green, while the weekend map is three-quarters green. While neither map indicates drivers are locked out from parking by overcrowding, when viewed on a more granular level, they do show certain on-street sections are jam-packed.

By Walker’s own definition, which set adequate parking capacity as having a “buffer” of at least 15 percent available spaces, Bloomington’s downtown met the mark overall, measuring in at 63 percent of capacity at its peak. However, drivers searching for what Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan calls “the spot,” a space right in front of their destination, might come away fuming, their perception clouded by experience rather than numbers.