Since no one from Mandarin comes to see the Southbank of the river, seems like a non-issue....
http://m.jacksonville.com/opinion/ron-littlepage/2015-05-11/story/ron-littlepage-good-luck-finding-parking-southbank-riverwalk (http://m.jacksonville.com/opinion/ron-littlepage/2015-05-11/story/ron-littlepage-good-luck-finding-parking-southbank-riverwalk)
QuoteWhere are the access points? Where do you park?
There is parking in the River City Brewery lot near Friendship Fountain, but it costs a considerable chunk of change to park there.
People who just want to take a stroll on a riverwalk their tax dollars paid for aren't going to be real happy having to hand over $5 to a parking lot attendant for the privilege of doing so.
I park in the free lot behind MOSH. You can also parallel park on Riverplace and some of the side streets.
Its amazing to me how people cant just walk like two blocks to get to their destination. Especially to a riverwalk of all places! Seems very ironic. We keep trying to sell this city design and mentality to people who simply cannot fathom the concept. Downtown does NOT need more parking!
It does need better access from Riverplace Ave, though.
Quote from: Tacachale on May 12, 2015, 11:11:39 AM
It does need better access from Riverplace Ave, though.
That is something I totally agree with.
There Is No Free ParkingQuote...the estimated cost of subsidizing off-street parking in 2002 was estimated to be as much as what the U.S. spent on Medicare or national defense in that year; a whopping $127 - $374 billion (ITS Review Online).
These are only direct cost. There are also poorly understood external costs1. Specifically, free or cheap curb parking also generates excessive congestion, air pollution, and inefficient space allocation as drivers cruise excessively to find empty spaces and occupy parking spaces longer than if parking is priced fully to cover true cost.
Free or subsidized parking also explains why most American cities are charm-less compared to European cities. If parking spaces are priced to fully cover their full cost, the demand for parking spaces would be drastically reduced and American cities would look more like San Francisco than Los Angeles. Because American land-use planners estimate how many free parking spaces are needed at peak demand, people have no incentive to patronize mass transit. So a vicious circle of subsidized parking leading to low demand for mass transit, and inadequate mass transit in turn leading to high demand for subsided parking is completed.
More: https://livingeconomics.org/article.asp?docId=265
My wife and I went on Sunday and the lot was closed, but the attendant said to park under the acosta and they don't ticket on weekends. Worked out great, the lot is shaded from the bridge, and it was only a small walk.
Quote from: mtraininjax on May 12, 2015, 09:20:28 AM
Since no one from Mandarin comes to see the Southbank of the river, seems like a non-issue....
Well, I live in Mandarin and have been to the riverwalk many times, since it opened and before the remodeling. I was there Sunday in fact, no issues parking.
Sounds like we just need something to complain about I guess...
Riverplace blvd is going down to two lanes. Angled parking will replace the existing lanes. Plenty of new parking foe southbank riverwalk
Quote from: Murder_me_Rachel on May 12, 2015, 12:40:14 PM
I have parked in that River City Parking lot a ton of times and never paid a cent.
How did you do that? EVERY time we've tried to park there the attendant is stopping every car and charging $5 unless they're eating at RCB or going to the MOSH.
I've wondered about how that MOSH - RCB arrangement works (for those who don't know the MOSH gets like 20 spots for patrons of the RCB controlled lot). Is RCB giving those ~20 spots away for free or ...?
Quote from: Murder_me_Rachel on May 12, 2015, 12:40:14 PM
I have parked in that River City Parking lot a ton of times and never paid a cent.
This has been my experience too...never encountered an attendant at the RCBC lot and never had to pay.
I think Littlepage has a point in that the access points for the Riverwalk, whether you are driving or walking, are rather difficult to discern. It should be more accessible and the access points made more obvious.
Quote from: UNFurbanist on May 12, 2015, 11:09:37 AM
Its amazing to me how people cant just walk like two blocks to get to their destination. Especially to a riverwalk of all places! Seems very ironic. We keep trying to sell this city design and mentality to people who simply cannot fathom the concept. Downtown does NOT need more parking!
Yep
And if littlepage thinks 5 bucks is an arm and a leg to pay to park in a real downtown in a real city, he needs to get back to Hooterville.
Quote from: Wacca Pilatka on May 12, 2015, 03:22:58 PM
Quote from: Murder_me_Rachel on May 12, 2015, 12:40:14 PM
I have parked in that River City Parking lot a ton of times and never paid a cent.
This has been my experience too...never encountered an attendant at the RCBC lot and never had to pay.
I think Littlepage has a point in that the access points for the Riverwalk, whether you are driving or walking, are rather difficult to discern. It should be more accessible and the access points made more obvious.
I've never paid to park in that lot either. Knowing all the free spaces surrounding it, I don't think I ever will.
Should there be a HANDICAPPED parking space at the end of the Southbank Riverwalk next to Healthy Town JEA property? I'd say yes.
That's private property. The school board has several handicapped parking spots in their parking lot.
Maybe somebody needs to send them a midnight email for an EXTRA, EXTRA, two handicapped parking spots.
I do think the situation is a little nutty at the moment. Sure, us people who are there all the time can figure it out (I've been a few times since it opened and not paid either). With that said, should it not be a little user-friendly for those who live off Kernan and work on the southside who may rarely come downtown? You have this giant, RCBC lot which is city owned (as is all the RCBC property) and never full, and they somehow can't figure out how to carve some space out for the Riverwalk/Friendship Park?
I consider the RCBC building to be defunct, so the parking lot is pretty fair game. I have never seen an attendant there, and I don't think they'd ever recover their cost (plus, their lot being overcrowded for their guests just hasn't been a problem) if they paid someone to sit in that shack.
Unless it is between 8 and 9am on a weekday, I don't buy that anyone has ever seen a body inside that booth. And if you work over there and can get away with paying only $5 for all day parking, that's a steal.
Quote from: Steve on May 14, 2015, 08:16:13 AM
I do think the situation is a little nutty at the moment. Sure, us people who are there all the time can figure it out (I've been a few times since it opened and not paid either). With that said, should it not be a little user-friendly for those who live off Kernan and work on the southside who may rarely come downtown? You have this giant, RCBC lot which is city owned (as is all the RCBC property) and never full, and they somehow can't figure out how to carve some space out for the Riverwalk/Friendship Park?
The wayfinding signage project that was supposed to be done during the Peyton administration would help with this. Most don't know that there are other places they can park on the Southbank to access the riverwalk.
^ Yes, that is the number one problem, I think. And wayfinding signage for pedestrians to Riverwalk access points would be nice too. Or just more access points.
Quote from: downtownbrown on May 13, 2015, 11:22:01 PM
And if littlepage thinks 5 bucks is an arm and a leg to pay to park in a real downtown in a real city, he needs to get back to Hooterville.
Yes, $5 isn't much to pay in a "real city" but let's not forget there's way more things to do in a "real city".