The City of Portland recognizes that carsharing provides benefits to the City and its residents. Carsharing can contribute to reduced air and water pollution, congestion and increases transit ridership, biking and walking. In order to support carsharing in Portland, the Bureau of Transportation allows carshare organizations to reserve on-street parking spaces for the exclusive use of carsharing vehicles.

 

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II. DEFINITIONS

 

For the purposes of this policy, the following definitions shall apply:

 

"Carsharing" is a shared-use vehicle program that provides a geographically distributed fleet of vehicles to serve its members.

 

"Carsharing Program" is the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation program that authorizes carsharing organizations to provide carsharing in the City right-of-way.

 

"Carsharing permit" is the revocable permit issued by the City Traffic Engineer authorizing a carsharing organization to park their vehicles in designated and reserved carsharing on-street spaces. The City may issue individual permits by carsharing space, carsharing vehicle, or carsharing organization. Permit(s) must be displayed as directed by the City Traffic Engineer.

 

"Carsharing organization" is an organization that provides members with access to a minimum of twenty (20) shared-use vehicles at geographically distributed locations with hourly, daily, and/or weekly rates that include insurance.

 

"Carsharing vehicle" is a vehicle made accessible by a carsharing organization for use by its members. Each carsharing organization shall display its identifying emblem on any carsharing vehicle using on‐street spaces

 

"Carsharing on-street space" is a metered or nonmetered on-street space designated and reserved by the City for use by a carsharing organization.

 

"Metered on-street space" is an on-street space within a City meter district or area.

 

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III. PURPOSE

 

The purpose of this administrative rule is to establish a transparent, fair and consistent policy for allowing parking for carshare vehicles in Portland.

 

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IV. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

 

Carsharing permits

 

In order for a carsharing vehicle to use an on-street carsharing space, the vehicle must have and display a carsharing permit. Carhsaring organizations will work with the City to obtain permits by carsharing space, carsharing vehicle, or carsharing organization, whichever is applicable. Permit(s) must be displayed as directed by the City Traffic Engineer.

 

Reserving on-street spaces

 

The Carsharing Program will make available up to a total of one hundred (100) metered on-street spaces and (200) non-metered on-street spaces, with a maximum of three hundred (300) carsharing on-street spaces citywide.

 

Reserved carsharing on-street spaces will be reserved for the exclusive use of one carsharing organization at all times, and may not be used by any other carsharing organization.

 

Reserving Spaces within the Metered District

 

The Portland Bureau of Transportation will annually create a list of on-street, metered parking spaces available that will be available for carshare organizations to rent. PBOT will manage an auction process in which carshare organizations can bid on these spaces, at a cost equal to or greater than a minimum bid price determined by PBOT. This minimum bid price will be the sum of lost meter revenue, installation, maintenance, and city administrative costs associated with renting spaces for carshare use.

 

Reserving Spaces outside of the Metered District

 

On-street carshare spaces outside of the meter district may be proposed to PBOT by a carshare organization upon receiving approval of the adjacent property owner. In addition, on-street spaces outside of the meter district may be recommended to carshare organizations as carshare spaces by PBOT in order to encourage carsharing in a specific location with an identified need.

 

In order to ensure efficient use of the public right-of-way, consistently low utilization of reserved on-street spaces in high-demand non-metered parking areas will be reviewed by city staff and potentially eliminated. Low utilization is defined as any space that generates less than 60 trips per month for at least 3 months (due to low usage and not to circumstances beyond the carsharing organization’s control) will Be considered to be “underutilized.” Notice of the space being removed will be sent to the carshare company.

 

Removal and Relocation of Reserved Carsharing Spaces for both Metered and Non-Metered Districts

 

Carsharing on-street spaces may be removed or relocated with thirty (30) days' notice at the discretion of the City Traffic Engineer. If the removal occurs over a time period which has already been paid for by a carsharing organization, PBOT will refund an appropriate amount to the carsharing organization.

 

If a construction or maintenance project necessitates the removal of an existing carsharing on-street space, the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation will work with the affected carsharing organization to find a suitable alternative location.

 

Each carshare vehicle using a reserved on-street space must have a carsharing permit that allows for parking in reserved spaces. The City may issue individual permits unique to a carsharing space, carsharing vehicle, or carsharing organization. Permit(s) must be displayed as directed by the City Traffic Engineer.

 

Placing brochures or other advertisement media in the public right-of-way is prohibited.

 

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V. FEES

 

Fees for Spaces within the Metered District

 

For on-street, reserved carshare spaces within the meter district, the fee for reserving the space will be determined by auction. The minimum bid price, as determined by PBOT, will be established based on the costs of foregone meter revenue, installation, maintenance, administration, and other costs associated with dedicating a meter space solely for carshare use.

 

PBOT will award the space(s) to the carshare organization with the highest bid. If no carshare organization offers the minimum bid, no fee will be gathered and the carshare space will remain an on-street, metered parking space available for private vehicles.

 

Fees for Spaces outside of the Metered District

 

The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation is authorized to establish fees to recover the costs of installation, relocation, removal, maintenance, and administration of carsharing on-street spaces and carsharing permits. If the space to be reserved is within an Area Parking Permit (APP) Zone, the cost of the APP will also be included in the reservation price.

 

Fees will be reviewed and adjusted as part of the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation's periodic review.

 

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VI. LOCATION OF SPACES

 

Location of Spaces within the Metered District

 

An auction for on-street spaces within the meter district will be held annually. PBOT will announce the auction a month before bids are due to all qualifying carshare organizations that operate in Portland.

 

Approved carsharing on-street spaces will be installed or relocated in a timely manner. Parking Operations staff will promptly notify the requesting carsharing organization of any delays. Requests for exceptions to the schedule or expedited service on installation or relocation will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

 

Carsharing on-street spaces will not be installed in the downtown retail core, currently defined as the 17-block area bounded by SW Alder and SW Taylor and SW 3rd and SW 9th Streets. The City Traffic Engineer has the authority to redefine these boundaries at any time.

 

Location of Spaces outside of the Metered District

 

Carshare organizations may propose on-street carshare locations outside of the meter district to the City Carshare Coordinator. For each proposed space, the carsharing organization must provide the City with City-approved forms signed by the adjacent property owner or designee acknowledging consent to install a carsharing on-street space. If the carsharing on-street space is within an Area Parking Permit Program, the carsharing organization must also notify and obtain approval from the Neighborhood Association's parking committee or other appropriate body.

 

The City may also suggest carshare spaces outside of the metered district depending on transportation demand management strategies, and local requests. The City will inform all carshare organizations that operate in Portland when a suggested space is determined.

 

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VII. RESPONSIBILITIES OF CARSHARING ORGANIZATIONS

 

To be eligible for the Carsharing Program, organizations must meet the definition of "carsharing organization" above.

 

Carsharing organizations must pay all permit and other appropriate fees to the City.

 

Carsharing organizations are responsible for the payment of all citations and towing fees incurred by their vehicles.

 

Carsharing organizations shall meet all requirements of the carsharing permits.

 

Carsharing organizations must provide the City with City-approved forms signed by the adjacent property owner or designee acknowledging consent to install a carsharing on-street space outside of the meter district. If the carsharing on-street space is within an Area Parking Permit Program, the carsharing organization must notify and obtain approval from the Neighborhood Association's parking committee or other appropriate body.

 

Carsharing organizations shall survey their membership on an annual basis and shall provide the survey results to the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation annually. Carsharing surveys shall gather data on changes in travel behavior, costs, and benefits and shall be jointly developed with and approved by the City.

 

Carsharing organizations shall provide quarterly reports to the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation regarding the utilization of its carsharing on-street spaces, vehicle use, member numbers, and vehicle fleet size.

 

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VIII. ENFORCEMENT

 

The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation will enforce carsharing on-street spaces. The City will issue citations for unauthorized vehicles in carsharing on-street spaces. Requests for enforcement will be accepted only from designated individuals at each carsharing organization.

 

The City is responsible for notifying carsharing organizations in advance of scheduled events, street cleaning or street repairs that require on-street vehicles to be moved. Parking Enforcement will notify the carsharing organization prior to citing or towing carsharing vehicles in assigned spaces as soon as the information is available.

 

Carsharing organizations are responsible for promptly moving carsharing vehicles upon notification or may face enforcement action, including citation or towing.

 

Violation of any of these responsibilities will result in one 30-day notice per permit year to resolve the issue. Following that notice, failure to resolve the issue to the City's satisfaction may result in revocation of the permit.

 

 

Rules adopted by Bureau of Transportation Director October 25, 2006.

Filed for inclusion in PPD October 25, 2006.

Amended by Bureau of Transportation Director January 23, 2009.

Amended by Bureau of Transportation Director January 14, 2013.