Is there a parking problem in downtown Amherst? Not really. Probably. Maybe. Definitely. This is the wide range of answers that you might get to this question on any given day.

What we have in Amherst is complicated but not unique to us, or our town center. Cities and towns all over the country have faced these issues and are coming up with innovative and diverse solutions. We can learn from them and must do so soon. The economic strength of our downtown is depending on it.

From my perspective, when I hear of someone coming into town to see a film at the Amherst Cinema but drive around and around only to eventually give up when they couldn’t park, that’s a problem. A big one. Or the letters I receive from people who come to town to do some shopping, have dinner and stroll through town but tell me they will never come back because of parking issues. That’s a problem.

Many folks in Amherst have been diligently working on this, like many other times in our town’s storied history. But most recently, the town engaged a widely-recognized transportation consultant to gather data regarding parking spaces in downtown. Although there was some confusion and misunderstanding as to what conclusions could be drawn from this information, it provides us with a valuable starting point to consider options.

The data indicates how many spaces there are, differentiated by public versus private as well as times of day that they are occupied or not. This is a good starting point. But it is only a very small piece of the puzzle and subject to huge gaps in interpretation.

My concern with this raw data is that it lumped all of our over 3,000 downtown parking spaces together. Private parking has to be distinguished quite differently from public. Private parking spaces are often dedicated to a certain business or building through a long-term lease situation. That makes them unavailable for public use. The average visitor, resident, and/or student coming into town will not, and should not, park there. Almost two-thirds of the 3,000 spaces were identified as private.

When we really get into the weeds on this, we need to address that public component, or lack thereof. We need to address how we, as a community, can create and manage more parking that is available during peak hours such as when our restaurants are full and the Amherst Cinema is playing our favorites.

The first step on the road to resolution here is to collectively accept the fact that we do not have enough public parking in downtown. As the saying goes, you can only start to solve a problem when you’ve admitted the problem exists.

Researching what other communities have done to resolve parking issues is critical to the resolution of our own parking dilemma. Whether it’s free parking at certain times or in certain places, changes in rates, better management, new technology, a parking structure, or any or all of the above, seeing what has worked elsewhere is crucial. Saratoga Springs, New York, has primarily free parking in and around its downtown, while Northampton built a garage that has been hugely successful.

Many communities have variations on both that have been proactive and dynamic. We can do that as well with the right level of public engagement and commitment. That’s what the Business Improvement District, Town Hall and several forward-thinking citizens are working on. We are committed to it and remain optimistic that solutions are at hand.

Downtown Amherst is a place that people already love or are ready to learn more about for a multitude of fabulous reasons. The Amherst BID wants to make sure they always feel welcome and have a safe and comfortable place to park when they get here.

Yes, to my thinking, we have a parking problem. But it can be solved. If other towns can do it, why not Amherst?

Sarah la Cour, of Amherst, is executive director of the Amherst Business Improvement District.