Parking myth hurts downtown
Information lacking, not spaces
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/16260862.htm
This recent article discusses the scapegoat of downtown parking and how the lack of public knowledge about parking, not spaces, is what fuels a misunderstanding of the subject.
Highlights:
- There are an estimated 7,600 downtown parking spaces available to the public
- Signs are being created to direct people to both public and private downtown parking
- Metered parking is free after 4:30pm on weekdays and also free on weekends and city holidays
- A tiered fine structure is being looked into for repeat parking violations
- A unified parking system is being considered that would be administered by a single downtown parking authority
Our thanks to Scott Greider for reminding us about the parking issue also being addressed in the BaseballPLUS Report.
From Section VI. C. of the report:
"Among these downtown stadiums, little if any of the project budget is used to produce dedicated parking. Part of the perceived value of locating in the city is both the ability to take advantage of existing parking (with the majority of the games being played in the evening, the parking is counter-cyclical to the business needs), and the opportunity to promote ancillary economic activity by taking advantage of the "walkability" of a downtown location."
Another point Scott mentioned that is also in the Report is the fact that of the comparable stadiums looked at, parking was at first thought to be a major issue for those cities, but in fact, turned out to be a non-issue completely.
The issue of parking is certainly one that the City of Fort Wayne needs to expound upon in the future in order for the public to be knowledgeable of the facts and options available. Parking, along with traffic, will surely remain whipping boys throughout the course of the project. The task of the City will be to disseminate definitive, clear information in order to 'lessen the lashings'.
