Portsmouth needs to change its car-centric mindset

Oct. 29 − To the Editor:

I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of Portsmouth residents want for our community to be safe, healthy, environmentally and economically sustainable, affordable and diverse, authentic, and for the downtown to be vibrant and walkable. And yet, our zoning ordinances, and the land use boards which uphold them, appear to have one objective in mind which trumps all others: ample car storage.

Parking minimums are a relic of a mid-20th century car-centric suburban ideal which is wholly inappropriate for our 400 year old city (practically none of which could have been built under today's zoning standards) and assume that the only reasonable way to displace oneself even the shortest of distances is with the aid of a 3,000-pound motorized vehicle.

A lot of proponents of parking minimums hold the erroneous belief that it is impossible to live car free in Portsmouth and that tenants of parkingless apartments will only add to the stress of already parking starved neighborhoods. I can tell you from personal experience that it is not only possible but that it is preferable. The very reason I moved to Portsmouth 23 years ago was so I didn't have to be car dependent. The truth is that in a dense compact city such as ours it is much more efficient to travel on bike or scooter than in a car. Doing so saves time, money (Americans spends on average $12,000 per year per motor vehicle), provides exercise, reduces carbon emissions, and improves safety. And if you are somebody that requires off street parking for yourself or for your customers, by all means, go ahead and pay for it. But don't force that cost onto others who don't.

Despite the desperate need for additional housing to supply our workforce, by insisting on the impossible creation of parking spots for each additional housing unit, we are ensuring that only few and expensive units will be created which will be out of reach for the young workers we need to attract and retain. And if we only allow for apartments with parking, we are encouraging tenants to own cars. And the last time I checked it didn't seem as though we needed any more of those fouling the downtown air.

Jonathan Sandberg

Portsmouth