The city is looking at ways to keep a downtown parking problem from growing. There isn't a shortage of parking, says a 2008 study, but the parking that is available isn't near the locations where it is most needed.

The city wants to hire C&S Companies of Rochester to conduct a study that takes a deeper look at the parking needs of downtown residents and workers to determine whether some form of shuttle service is needed for the inner city.

The Federal Transit and Genesee Transportation Council would fund the $75,000 study, which will be voted on by City Council on September 8.

"The main goal is to connect underutilized parking with specific downtown destinations," says Erik Frisch, transportation specialist for the city. "Generally, we have plenty of parking, but we have areas where there are shortages."

One example, Frisch says, is the Manhattan Square Park area. Parking demands will increase with Midtown under redevelopment, he says, and the addition of ESL headquarters. There are 50,000 workers and more than 5,000 residents downtown; and those numbers are expected to climb.

"We've seen what we're calling a mini-boom in development downtown," Frisch says. "And we don't want parking to be a hindrance to that development."

The routes the shuttles will service, time schedules, and the number of shuttles needed are all issues that the study would address, Frisch says. It's also unclear how much it would cost riders to use the shuttle.

The shuttles could be used by visitors and patrons of city attractions, like the East End, on evenings and weekends.