[Vision2020] Re: Parking Downtown Moscow

[Paul Rumelhart]

I'm one of those people who is put off going to downtown because I'm not 
assured of convenient parking.  If I happen to be near downtown, then I 
will walk in and do business there ocassionally.  If there is something 
specific there that I want (such as a good sandwich from Wheatberries), 
then I'll go there when I'm close to downtown.  If I'm at home and need 
something, I hop in the car and go anywhere but downtown.  It just 
doesn't even come up on my list of areas to head for.

If the odds of finding parking at any given time were higher, I'd go 
there more - even  if I had to walk farther.  Once you're downtown, it's 
no big deal because there are enough shops that you can easily get to 
that are quite nice.  Another put off is that even when you find 
parking, it's either behind a big building you have to walk around or 
it's paralell parking on a busy street.  Sometimes you get lucky and 
find some diagonal parking spots.

I can't imagine that I'm unique when it comes to this.

Anyway, I also welcome more data on this subject.

Paul

Dan Carscallen wrote:

>Phil says:
>"If we determine there is a shortage of parking downtown at certain
>times, then one question is what are the consequences of that shortage?
>For example, do customers go elsewhere to do business as a result? The
>conventional wisdom probably says "Yes," but I'd like to see evidence to
>support the conventional wisdom. (Anecdotally, I've never gone elsewhere
>to do business because I couldn't find a parking spot. The businesses
>that have what I want determine where I shop, not parking. Perhaps I'm
>an exception.)"
>
>If this is the case, I'm just as much as exception as Phil. (Does this
>make us exceptional?  I'd like to think so)  And if we're getting
>anecdotal, I've never had a problem finding a place to park downtown, or
>near enough for a short walk.  Maybe I'm still an exception . . .
>
>BUT, as Phil so eloquently states, a comprehensive study of the
>"problem" (real or perceived) needs to occur.  Maybe something can be
>gleaned and expanded from the study the NSA is doing.  It would be nice
>to get the whole parking thing defined so people don't have that "moving
>target" to keep shooting at.
>
>DC
>
>
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