Parking Issues in J'ville (Downtown & Otherwise) are Non-Sensical

[tufsu1]

Here's an aticle from the New York Times regarding free parking

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/15/business/economy/15view.html?_r=2

[CS Foltz]

OK tufsu..........I understand the point! Could I ask, for the sake of discussion, how would one go about parking downtown on one of those "free parking spaces"? There are not any that I am aware of! Either pay a meter or pay for a parking stall! Either way I pay! Because of that, I don't go downtown unless there is no alternative! I ,for one, do like to attend  Council Meetings, Ethics Commission meetings and anything else that interests me downtown! Have gotten one of those parking awards, was about 3 minutes late getting back to shove more quarters into the meter but that is the price you pay to keep informed! Will do it again when needed!

[tufsu1]

well CS...there are some free street spaces downtown....and all are free after 6pm (really after 5pm) and on weekends.

and I personally don't think there's a good alternative to the experience one gets at RAM, annual festivals, ArtWalk, concerts, sporting events, etc....so feel free to visit downtown!

[CS Foltz]

Would love to, but City Hall meetings are not always at night! Ethics Commission meet at 1530 so either way, I need to park within 3 or 4 Blocks.....don't care to walk much further than that! So where is this "free parking" at may I ask?

[uptowngirl]

I agree with CS there should be some free parking for these city meetings. I go to several and it is sad how people have to keep getting up to feed the meters and miss the meeting they came for (I am assuming they came for the meeting, not to feed meters). City meetings open to the public should be just that, open and free-including parking. I personally park at a structure so I do not have to worry about a ticket, but not everyone has $8 to park, or wants to spend it to sit through a meeting that they really only have one topic they are interested in.

[tufsu1]

Would love to, but City Hall meetings are not always at night! Ethics Commission meet at 1530 so either way, I need to park within 3 or 4 Blocks.....don't care to walk much further than that! So where is this "free parking" at may I ask?

free parking on Church St in the Cathedral District....also near the new courthouse.

Both are probably about 5 blocks from City Hall

[uptowngirl]

Do they offer security gaurds to walk you to your car after the meeting? Some end at 11PM at night, and I do not think grandma should be walking that far alone at night DT.

[tufsu1]

well, one could leave the meeting for 15 minutes around 6pm and move the car to a nearby space.

Look, I know it isn't perfect....but how could you guarantee that free street spaces were only being used for folks going to Commission meetings (or doing other business at City Hall)....if using a lot, the City coul insitute a stamp program....like the Library already has.

[JeffreyS]

Only in Jacksonville would the front page story be that major corporate employers are picking up stakes and moving out of downtown due to lack of affordable parking, and then Wednesday's front page be about how the City is having to pay 14 million dollars a year for unused parking spaces to the garages.

And you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.

[tufsu1]

Only in Jacksonville would the front page story be that major corporate employers are picking up stakes and moving out of downtown due to lack of affordable parking, and then Wednesday's front page be about how the City is having to pay 14 million dollars a year for unused parking spaces to the garages.

ok...I agree that the combined stories are a bit sad....but Jacksonville is far from the only major city losing employment in its downtown.

in fact, there was a story the other day on NPR that talked about downtown employment across the country....used to be that a significant # of metro. area jobs were in downtowns.

well today, apparently NYC and DC are the only 2 major cities with over 20% of their regional employment located downtown.....most other U.S. cities (Jax. included) have 5-10% of the region's employment in downtown.

[JeffreyS]

Stephen you are having a good day on the posts.

[tufsu1]

It doesn't really matter whats happening in the other cities, TUFSU.  We don't have to solve their problems.  We have to solve ours.  Even for you this post is a stretch from the truth.  What does national unemployment have to do with Addeco moving out of downtown.

Nothing.

I'm not talking about national unemeployment...I'm talking about a shift from downtown employment to suburban employment that has been going on all over the country for the last 50 years

[tufsu1]

I was pretty clear in talking about changing trends regarding downtown's share of regional employment in cities throughout the country....how that directly relates to unemeployment is beyond me.

[JeffreyS]

I was pretty clear in talking about changing trends regarding downtown's share of regional employment in cities throughout the country....how that directly relates to unemeployment is beyond me.

How about instead of using trends as the excuse for our Downtown we try to buck the trends.

[Doctor_K]

ah.  The Hundred Year View, eh?

And how you think that relates to the irony between a major employer moving out of downtown specifically because of parking, followed by a 14 million dollar payout for unfilled parking spaces in the downtown is beyond the rest of us.

The real question is, how much of that wasted $14MM could be recouped by re-doing the parking situation to include smart meters, more affordable garages, and the like?

Can anyone even begin to quantify that?