Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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lifeontwowheels said:
Businesses are popping up off High St. through downtown with the same issues-connectivity and parking, the perceptions people are talking about.
Name a new Downtown business off High Street that doesn't have parking meters in front of it on one side of the street or the other.
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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Walker said:
Name a new Downtown business off High Street that doesn't have parking meters in front of it on one side of the street or the other.
Look I get why meters are important...hell I was largely against the initial Broad Street bike lanes out here on the Hilltop for exactly that reason. Downtown is a pretty interesting problem when it comes to development. Only recently have businesses started shifting to later hours but how many of you guys have complained on here about the lack of late night options? I don't think parking is the biggest problem when it comes to development, it's simply the lowest hanging fruit. To get more residents downtown to support more businesses you need to develop around the biggest asset: walkable, bikeable, transit friendly corridors. That's why downtown, urban areas are attractive to people.
You want to accommodate turnover and ease the lack of parking perception that some claim hurt downtown businesses? Then lets get creative. Lease garage space around downtown to accommodate meters on the first level. Take the guess work out of parking and provide a space where people can park short term or go one level up and park traditional garage style. Tie it in to a downtown shuttle circulator that's free and hits the garages and major destination points. Use technology to our advantage. And then turn our urban freeways into streets that make it easy to walk, easy to bike and easy to explore.
buckette13
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The reason I like time limited on street meters is often that they get me closer to where I want to go downtown then a garage would be. I like being able to pop in to get a coffee or do a little shopping. I think that is why they are trying to put these in. There is really no benefit to putting meters in an existing parking garage in my opinion.
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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buckette13 said:
The reason I like time limited meters is often that they get me closer to where I want to go downtown then a garage would be. I think that is why they are trying to put these in. There is really no benefit to putting meters in an existing parking garage in my opinion.
And what happens when you hit peak happy hour and the meters are taken? Like i said, I get why they can be good and why they are needed. But the current proposal is going to restrict usage at peak rush hours, so there goes 4 hours of parking plus the potential of a hefty fine and no car if you are running late. If you're meeting people or going out at night, you may get lucky but chances are you aren't getting that coveted space. I don't think I am suggesting that meters in garages replace totally the meters on High, just that it can go a lot further to challenging perceptions and make downtown seem easier to navigate.
If we're going off personal anecdotes, I love meters during off peak day time hours but they are useless otherwise. For a visitor that's going to be a huge punch in the gut and make it far more likely to flee to Easton where parking is "free".
buckette13
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I agree that removing them from peak hours is a really dumb idea. My hope is that this will change after they are put in (accomplished by pealing off a sticker and taking down a few signs). I also believe that some bus routes should be moved off of High St.
From my experience, things usually start out slightly stilted and improve over time.
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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lifeontwowheels said:
To get more residents downtown to support more businesses you need to develop around the biggest asset: walkable, bikeable, transit friendly corridors. That's why downtown, urban areas are attractive to people.
Agreed. And we should strive to do things to improve on those fronts.
But that doesn't invalidate the importance of easy on-street parking for retailers and retail customers.
CbusMittFan
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The new meters will only help retail, not sure how much though because of all the bus stops. I still can't believe the COTA plan to re-route the stops to Front Street was shot down. I think my sister or mother would honestly be safter walking down High Street at midnight than during the day with the people sitting @ the COTA stops.
No one likes paying meters but debit card meters make it much easier.
econJoe
Victorian Village
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CbusMittFan said:
The new meters will only help retail, not sure how much though because of all the bus stops. I still can't believe the COTA plan to re-route the stops to Front Street was shot down. I think my sister or mother would honestly be safter walking down High Street at midnight than during the day with the people sitting @ the COTA stops.
No one likes paying meters but debit card meters make it much easier.
You fear for your mother's safety on High Street because of people at bus stops?
jbcmh81
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This whole debate would not exist at all if more people were just willing to walk. There are tens of thousands of parking spaces Downtown, from garages to surface lots to meters on side streets. But drivers generally don't want to walk anywhere. And let's not forget about public transit riders and COTA who refused other ideas because customers may have had to walk another block or two. Downtown is honestly not THAT big that the vast majority of places aren't within a fairly short walking distance. Frankly, the whole debate exemplifies the reality that Americans are spoiled and pretty damn lazy. Entire generations did just fine throughout history without 400 parking spots located near the front door of every business. It's a wonder we ever made it out of the first half of the 20th century.
Mister Shifter
Lewis Center
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lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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jbcmh81 said:
This whole debate would not exist at all if more people were just willing to walk. There are tens of thousands of parking spaces Downtown, from garages to surface lots to meters on side streets. But drivers generally don't want to walk anywhere. And let's not forget about public transit riders and COTA who refused other ideas because customers may have had to walk another block or two. Downtown is honestly not THAT big that the vast majority of places aren't within a fairly short walking distance. Frankly, the whole debate exemplifies the reality that Americans are spoiled and pretty damn lazy. Entire generations did just fine throughout history without 400 parking spots located near the front door of every business. It's a wonder we ever made it out of the first half of the 20th century.
I would love to see a sketch/map of Easton laid over downtown. It would be interesting to compare the two from a size standpoint.
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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Walker said:
Agreed. And we should strive to do things to improve on those fronts.But that doesn't invalidate the importance of easy on-street parking for retailers and retail customers.
Just so we're clear:
Look I get why meters are important...hell I was largely against the initial Broad Street bike lanes out here on the Hilltop for exactly that reason.
Like i said, I get why they can be good and why they are needed
I don't think I am suggesting that meters in garages replace totally the meters on High, just that it can go a lot further to challenging perceptions and make downtown seem easier to navigate.
If we're going off personal anecdotes, I love meters during off peak day time hours but they are useless otherwise.
I get the first steps mentality but for once it would be great to hear: this is step 1 but here's steps 2-35 and how this is all going to fit in. Same thing happened with the streetcar. I think you would find more universal support for many projects if they the big picture was sold better.
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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CbusMittFan said:
I think my sister or mother would honestly be safter walking down High Street at midnight than during the day with the people sitting @ the COTA stops.
I can assure you that as someone who sits at COTA stops on a regular basis, I'd never attack your mother or sister.
melikecheese
Merion Village
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I think people need to understand that some people really will only ever have an interest in getting to their location / destination downtown, and then getting out quickly. Not everyone wants to ride a bike around, or walk all over. A great downtown should be able to support the various ways people work, live and travel, not just those who want to take their time and casually hang out down town.
News
Columbus Underground
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On-street parking critical for small business survival downtown
TRENDSPOTTING — BY MELANIE MCINTYRE ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 AT 8:00 AM
Columbus’s Department of Public Service will install about 130 new parking meters along High Street between Goodale Avenue and Mound Street before the end of this year.
It’s a controversial plan, and one that could have a considerable impact on shops and restaurants in the city’s urban core, where the availability of on-street parking can make or break a business.
[i]In an auto-oriented city like Columbus, on-street parking is a necessity for street-level retailing, says Cleve Ricksecker, executive director of the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District, which promotes and supports a clean and safe downtown.[/i]
johnwirtz
Glenview, IL
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I'd like to correct the title for you:
Option 1:
In the absence of people arriving by other transportation modes, on-street parking critical for small business survival downtown
Option 2:
Given Columbus' almost complete dependence on private automobiles, on-street parking critical for small business survival downtown
To be fair, this is explicitly stated in the third paragraph in the article:
In an auto-oriented city like Columbus, on-street parking is a necessity for street-level retailing, says Cleve Ricksecker, executive director of the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District, which promotes and supports a clean and safe downtown.
News
Columbus Underground
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Parking Spots, Meters Added In Downtown Columbus
Friday October 5, 2012 2:38 PM
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The city of Columbus is adding 120 new metered parking spaces along High Street. The first ones will be installed Oct. 15 on both sides of High Street, between Goodale and Mound streets.
READ MORE: http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2012/10/05/columbus-new-parking-spots-downtown.html
Pro Se
OTE-Franklin Park
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I think this will absolutely add businesses to High but at a minimum, it will make us a bit less dependent on surface lots that plague the area, perhaps allowing for one or two to be converted back to developed space. I've never stopped at that peanut store but I will now...
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