I think if I drive to downtown (or any where else) to spend my money, I shouldnt have to pay to park. Thats my only problem with it other than not knowing where to go and the confusing one way streets.
posted by swantucky at 09:30 A.M. EST on Sun Nov 20, 2005 #
We have no idea how good we have it here. Try living in Chicago or NYC where daily parking can cost upwards of $30.00. So we have to walk a little to get to where we work or where we shop. Big deal. I work downtown and I just hope the old building that just was destroyed by fire (Monroe and Michigan) won't turn into Toledo's newest parking lot. There are two or three large lots already in the area. Here's hoping Toledo's leadership tries to do something nice with that spot.
posted by daddyg at 11:07 A.M. EST on Sun Nov 20, 2005 #
I have NEVER had a problem parking downtown...yet, I do agree with the -swantucky-as far as paying to park...
We pay taxes for the streets and such...parking on the street should be FREE of CHARGE...I have ALWAYS felt that way...NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO PAY A PARKING TICKET FOR EXCEEDING THE LIMIT ON A METER ON A CITY STREET...
Only an opinion...
posted by MARIELORA at 12:31 P.M. EST on Sun Nov 20, 2005 #
It's gotta be a drain on businesses too....it seems like they would do a lot more business if parking were free. I've never understood why the parking structures need to be funded continually. There's not much upkeep to them since it's just concrete stacked on concrete. It seems to me about the only ongoing costs are the people who take up the money.....which is circular reasoning at it's best!
posted by HeyHey at 01:35 P.M. EST on Sun Nov 20, 2005 #
Downtown parking is always a scam, always starts with good intentions, and you'll never be able to get rid of it.
1. Scam. Meter prices are far too high. Lot prices vary, but some are too high. Parking tickets downtown are funneled through a private entity (ParkSmart?).
2. Good Intentions. If you take a look at aerial photos of Toledo circa 1945, you'd notice continuous storefronts in each city block. This changed due to the destruction of public transit combined with the introduction of the automobile. All those cars need somewhere to park. Hence, the razing of buildings, the construction of lots, and finally the metering of traffic flow.
3. Never Ever. Let's say that you DID get rid of JUST the parking meters. People would then clog up the downtown area with curb-parked cars that would tend to be there all day on average. Storefronts would look out and see their curbs jammed for hours with cars that have nothing to do with their business, and yet they would still need to accomodate customers and take deliveries. So we must have meters to keep people "moving along" instead of "park it and forget it until 5pm".
Downtown parking is roughly appropriately organized. The closer to the busiest sectors, the more you pay to park. We should worry instead about the deal with ParkSmart (?) that strikes me as an unnecessary privatization of a public franchise.
The "old building that just was destroyed by fire" (i.e. Arbuckle Bldg.) is being filled in as we speak. Hence, it's likely to NOT be a building basement. Still, if it does become a parking lot, it'd be tough since there is ALREADY a parking lot within a stone's throw in 3 directions. The "For Sale" sign is already up (Brown Realty?), and I only hope that the foreclosure went through and that the city is the actual owner now. After all, who paid to tear the building down and haul it all away?
posted by GuestZero at 11:16 P.M. EST on Sun Nov 20, 2005 #
If the meters are removed, then it should be part of a greater program. Say an incentive program to encourage local entrepreneurial investment in the downtown Toledo buildings. Make the streets free, but include a time limit of an hour or two, and rigidly enforce it to keep cars from clogging up the spots all day. If you park to frequent a business, you won't take 2 hours.
Even better, keep the meters for curbside parking and have the city-owned (Parksmart - yeah, don't like them either) garages allow validation for free parking from downtown businesses as part of a systematic plan to encourage downtown shopping.
We need to start incubating some local start-up businesses. Big businesses aren't going to come in and save us. It's up to ourselves to make those jobs.
posted by timault at 03:16 P.M. EST on Mon Nov 21, 2005 #
Great ideas, timault, but don't hold your breath...the city counts on that revenue - and now it's going to pay for the sports arena property!
posted by intrepid at 09:50 P.M. EST on Mon Nov 21, 2005 #
The City should encourage Toledo parking operators to better utilize the spaces they already have. Many large cities have double and triple decker parking on hoists without an enclosed building. It need not be a great ashphalt expanse. We tend to waste space here in the flyover flat lands. It has been some years since I was in New Orleans, but they accommodated on street parking in front of local businesses in the French Quarter. We parked our Miata wherever we found an empty space which was often. It was congested but it worked and added to the charm. We need to think outside of the box here.
posted by holland at 11:57 P.M. EST on Tue Nov 22, 2005 #
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