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Two more two-wheel motor vehicle parking spots were just added Downtown, allowing more room for scooters and motorcycles to easily find a place to park. These two additions bring the grand total of two-wheeler parking areas up to 25, with room for over 275 vehicles to park. [Read More]
Press Release:
Gateway Goes ‘Green’ With Initiatives for Customers, Residents and Businesses
With the annual Earth Day celebration around the corner, South Campus Gateway is preparing to roll out a series of “Green It” initiatives designed to promote environmental awareness, recycling and energy efficiency. The Gateway management team hopes the mixed-use project on the edge of The Ohio State University campus will become a leader in applying “green” ideas in a business setting. [Read More]
Last summer, the City of Columbus rolled out a new scooter parking initiative that gave two-wheel vehicle operators (scooter riders and motorcyclists alike) several designated parking locations in and around Downtown. Currently there are 23 locations that can hold a total of 267 vehicles and the city is planning to add more in 2009.
Also, as announced last year, a payment system is soon going to be in effect. An annual parking permit sticker will cost $50 per vehicle and well help to offset the cost of the parking signage and maintenance. Permits can be purchased starting March 16th at the City’s Parking Violations Bureau located at 400 W. Whittier Street. [Read More]
(Photo by Columbusite)
The fan-favorite nomination for our “Best Urban Development of 2008″ was actually not contained to one specific project, but a whole cluster of development that occurred along Gay Street in the past year.
The new Residence Inn hotel opened in February at the corner of Gay & Pearl. The Neighborhood Launch project continued construction through out the year, and the first units were sold and moved into. The first of the downtown scooter parking lots were also opened on Gay Street over the summer. [Read More]
The Dispatch wrote
David the scooter vs. Goliath the car
Saturday, July 19, 2008
BY TIM DOULIN
From a distance, motor scooters look like they would be fun to ride. But when you get behind one in a car, well, they are just another two-wheeled pest to some motorists.
Columbus finally recognized scooters by giving them a place to park Downtown this week. But do other motorists accept them on the road? “People here seem to be very impatient when behind two-wheel vehicles, which is pretty frustrating,” said Josh Quinn, 26, who has been riding a scooter about six years.
NBC4i.com wrote
Parking Lot Opens For Downtown Scooters
Tuesday, Jul 15, 2008
By Denise Yost
Trimming expenses is the name of the game for a growing number of Central Ohioans, and with gas hovering near $4 a gallon, riding bicycles, motorcycles and scooters is growing in popularity.
Getting to work on two wheels is becoming so popular that downtown workers are finding it difficult to find a place to park. But parking your scooter will get easier beginning Wednesday.
The city will open its first scooter parking lot on Gay Street between Third and High.
The Dispatch wrote
Scooters gaining appeal as alternative transportation
Saturday, July 5, 2008
BY KEVIN JOY
No longer a plaything of geeks and hipsters, scooters are zipping into the consciousness of drivers once indifferent to two-wheeled transportation.
Nationwide, first-quarter scooter sales were up 24 percent this year, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. Interest is rising, too, in central Ohio. “The word I would use is explosive,” said Bruce Ridenour, owner of the Far East Side motorbike dealer Motohio, where scooter purchases spiked 45 percent during the first six months of the year from the same period in 2007.
Although they relish their vehicles, longtime riders see some downsides. Andrew Miller worries that new riders will buy cheap, poorly built models that require frequent repairs and don’t provide much safety. “You feel more vulnerable,” said Mary Martineau, a 38-year-old who rides a red 1963 Vespa mostly on side streets. “Cars might not be looking for you.”
Urban parking, of course, is sometimes a pain. Because a scooter is licensed, it can’t share a parking space or meter, nor can it be put in a bike rack. Mayor Michael B. Coleman will soon announce details of a scooter- and motorcycle-parking initiative.
Urban In-Fill wrote
Columbus Scooter Parking Debate
June 10, 2008 by Jeff Johnson
A group of downtown enthusiasts/scooter fans met this past Friday to discuss ways to enhance the urban experience and how it relates to moving people in, out and around downtown Columbus.
Those who commute to work on motorized two-wheeled vehicles are seeking solutions. This group is interested in safe and secure parking, not unlike any other commuter. Their challenge, however, is unique, in that most parking garages prohibit scooter parking and securing a scooter is often essential, as some weigh less than 200 pounds.
The urban enthusiasts are seeing opportunity. There is an opportunity for the city to reduce congestion by promoting the use of two-wheeled vehicles. There’s an opportunity for downtown businesses to see increased foot traffic when more people arrive on two-wheeled vehicles - it leave more spaces open for four-wheeled vehicles.
Considerations discussed at Friday’s meeting included designating specific two-wheeled vehicle areas in and around downtown that would offer no-cost parking. Private lots and city owned parking spaces were considered, as was the potential for advertisers, such as Harley Davidson or Vespa, as sponsors these various locations.
The Dispatch wrote
Bikers served $40 notice to clear out of Pearl Alley
Friday, May 30, 2008
BY BOBBY PIERCE
Motorcyclists and scooter riders say the tickets they found on their bikes Wednesday afternoon mean they’ve lost their parking haven Downtown. But Columbus officials say they’re trying to find ways to accommodate the smaller vehicles.
The city is considering scooter and motorcycle parking in Pearl Alley, on Gay Street and near Columbus City Center, said Mike Brown, a spokesman for Mayor Michael B. Coleman.
I’ve parked for the past 2 years behind Frog Bear down in the arena with my little 150cc scooter. Today I got a note reading:
“In the future, please do not park scooters or motorcycles in or around the bike racks. NRI has requested that we start warning folks about it. A printed policy will be forthcoming.”
What is that all about? Do people really think that scooters parked in the bike rack back there are an eye sore?
