Most people think there's a serious parking problem in their neighborhood. It always seemed to take me at least 20 minutes to find a place to park, but when I finally abandoned all hope of finding a spot nearby and looked a little further afield, I would always find parking in a free lot. The distance from that lot to my house is only about 250 meters (including climbing a long staircase).
Lately I have been driving straight to that lot, and so far have always found a spot there. In this way I feel that I'm leaving the spots closer to home free for those who may find it difficult to walk or take the stairs. It appears that the serious parking problem is a function of walking distance.
According to the recently-published Central Bureau of Statistics Social Survey for 2019, among Jewish residents of Israel ages 20 and older, about half (49%) think there is sufficient parking in the area where they live. In the big cities, residents are far less satisfied.
Only 30% of drivers in Tel Aviv think there is adequate parking in their neighborhood. That rises to 32% Petah Tikva, 34% in Rishon Lezion, 39% in Haifa, 40% in Jerusalem 40%, and 42% in Netanya.
Only 27% of Arabs throughout Israel think there are enough parking spaces in their neighborhoods.
In an attempt to understand the distribution of parking spots – or their scarcity – in Jerusalem, we examined which Jerusalem residents think there is sufficient parking in the area where they live.
Among the Jewish population in Jerusalem, the higher the per capita income, the lower the rate of satisfaction with parking.
Among those earning up to NIS 2,000 gross per month, 45% think there is enough parking; among those earning from NIS 2,001-NIS 4,000 per month, 37% agree; while among those earning NIS 4,001 and more, only 33% think there is sufficient parking in their neighborhood.
Among Jewish residents whose gross personal income is higher than NIS 21,000 per month, fewer than 30% think there is adequate parking.
Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods are characterized by inadequate transportation infrastructure. The incredibly low number of residents – only 5% – who are satisfied with the amount of parking spaces in their neighborhoods reflects this reality.
There is a connection between overall satisfaction and satisfaction with the parking situation. Sixty-five percent of Jewish Jerusalemites who are very satisfied with the sanitation services in their neighborhoods believe they have access to an adequate number of parking places. For those who are entirely dissatisfied with their sanitation situation, only 26% believe they have a sufficient number of places to park.
Is there more parking in cleaner neighborhoods? That may be. Another possibility is that those who are satisfied with one part of their lives may be more likely to be satisfied with the others.
