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Parking observations by Brian Kolde: Here are some parking space observations I made on several days in February. While I would in no way claim this to be a parking study, I do feel it is representative enough to make some conclusions. I did not include Commerce Bank spaces, because opponents will claim they are not public and do not matter, for now. I generally looked at what I have found to be peak times — lunch hour. Wednesday, 2/14/01, 12:35 pm: 8 available spaces (not including disabled) on South Grand Square lot (between Arsenal and Hartford), 7 metered spaces on Hartford (east of Grand), numerous unmetered on Hartford (from end of metered area eastward to Arkansas). Thursday, 2/15/01, 12:10 pm: 6 spaces on lot (not including disabled), 2 metered on Hartford, numerous unmetered on Hartford. Monday, 2/19/01, 3:00 pm (a different time, just to see): 6 spaces on lot (not including disabled), 6 metered on Hartford, numerous unmetered on Hartford. Wednesday, 2/21/01, Noon: 18 spaces on lot (not including disabled), 6 metered on Hartford, numerous unmetered on Hartford, 2 metered on Grand, directly in front of Bread Co. On this day, just for fun, I also counted other surface parking spaces within an area I consider easy walking distance to South Grand Square. I did not include the lot behind Once Upon A Vine, as I assume it is for customers in that building only. I found 17 space on Tim Boyle's lot at Grand and Juniata (not including disabled), 12 spaces in the former Roosevelt Bank lot (now library), 9 metered spaces on Juniata east of Grand, approximately 30 unmetered spaces on Juniata eastward to Arkansas, and a whopping 117 spaces unused on the Commerce Bank lot!! Does this sound like a severe parking problem in the district? At least on February 21, it almost looked like a parking glut! Tuesday, 2/27/01, 8:30 am (just to test the morning situation): 20 on lot (not including disabled), 8 metered on Hartford, 1 metered on Grand in front of Bread Co. Tuesday, 2/27/01, 12:30 pm, 2 spaces on lot (not including disabled), 2 metered on Hartford, numerous unmetered on Hartford. At 1:00 pm there were 6 spaces on the lot (not including disabled), no metered on Hartford, numerous unmetered on Hartford. To me, this indicates that even when the lot is almost full, spaces are constantly opening up. This has always been my personal observation. I do not recall ever seeing the lot completely full. |