2006/11/18
The need for more parking better public transit
There's a story in today's Post-Standard about a downtown tenant who has racked up seven parking tickets in two months because he's got no place to park overnight. He can lease space in a lot from April until October, or he can put his car in a parking garage, but he won't have access to it after the garage closes – perhaps even as early as 10 p.m.
Plus, he's perfectly willing to pay for parking – there are just not enough spaces available.
And it's not going to get any easier, with a bunch of apartments going into buildings that are under renovation downtown.
The big argument is going to be for more parking. Isn't it always? If we had better public transit here, though – more buses and trains going where people need to get when they need to get there – people could just dump their cars, and with them, the need for parking.
People do it in bigger cities all the time; why not here?
For those of us who live less than two miles from downtown, the buses run about every hour after business hours. For those who live a little further out, they stop running altogether fairly early in the evening. Early enough that you have to drive if you expect to eat dinner and catch an hour of live music downtown and still manage to get home.
And if we don't want to invest in more buses, guess what? We can just dig up the road and use some existing rail lines. Canal Street and parts of North Clinton Street still have intact tracks under the pavement, and who knows where else that's the case? If we had a north-south train running every 20 minutes down the Salina Street corridor and an east-west train on the same schedule (staggered by a couple of minutes, of course, so people could transfer easily) running along the SR-5 corridor (Erie Blvd. East and West Genesee Street), hundreds of people could get to work, dinner, and shopping without their cars.
What are we waiting for?
Plus, he's perfectly willing to pay for parking – there are just not enough spaces available.
And it's not going to get any easier, with a bunch of apartments going into buildings that are under renovation downtown.
The big argument is going to be for more parking. Isn't it always? If we had better public transit here, though – more buses and trains going where people need to get when they need to get there – people could just dump their cars, and with them, the need for parking.
People do it in bigger cities all the time; why not here?
For those of us who live less than two miles from downtown, the buses run about every hour after business hours. For those who live a little further out, they stop running altogether fairly early in the evening. Early enough that you have to drive if you expect to eat dinner and catch an hour of live music downtown and still manage to get home.
And if we don't want to invest in more buses, guess what? We can just dig up the road and use some existing rail lines. Canal Street and parts of North Clinton Street still have intact tracks under the pavement, and who knows where else that's the case? If we had a north-south train running every 20 minutes down the Salina Street corridor and an east-west train on the same schedule (staggered by a couple of minutes, of course, so people could transfer easily) running along the SR-5 corridor (Erie Blvd. East and West Genesee Street), hundreds of people could get to work, dinner, and shopping without their cars.
What are we waiting for?
Comments:
<< Home
I get tired of people talking about the lack of parking. I always find good parking spaces when I visit downtown, often right in front of where I want to go (like the Tech Garden). Or maybe I have to walk 1 - 2 blocks, which is no big deal. I would rather be able to take mass transit, but schedules and routes in Syracuse make it nearly impossible for getting to/from meeting or running errands.
Let's hope that the right people hear the call for better mass transit in Syracuse and do something about it.
Let's hope that the right people hear the call for better mass transit in Syracuse and do something about it.
I also have not experienced problems parking downtown. More often than not, I need to park two or three blocks away, and walk to my destination.
I still prefer public transportation. However, it is almost impossible for me to commute by bus, as I live in Tipperary Hill and work in East Syracuse. There is only one bus scheduled which I can take home. If I miss this bus, I am stranded.
The American culture of worshipping one's automobile likely has a lot to do with the lack of public transportation. An other problem is the stigma that is assigned to people who take the bus. On several occasions I was met with incredulity regarding my taking the bus to Armory Square to go out on a Thursday night.
Perhaps when the price of gasoline once again soars, we'll have an opportunity to push this issue with our neighbors. Until then, I think everyone simply will continue to whine about parking.
I still prefer public transportation. However, it is almost impossible for me to commute by bus, as I live in Tipperary Hill and work in East Syracuse. There is only one bus scheduled which I can take home. If I miss this bus, I am stranded.
The American culture of worshipping one's automobile likely has a lot to do with the lack of public transportation. An other problem is the stigma that is assigned to people who take the bus. On several occasions I was met with incredulity regarding my taking the bus to Armory Square to go out on a Thursday night.
Perhaps when the price of gasoline once again soars, we'll have an opportunity to push this issue with our neighbors. Until then, I think everyone simply will continue to whine about parking.
# posted by 
: 20 November, 2006 10:14
: 20 November, 2006 10:14
i think the problem is that if you need to park overnight -- say, from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 a.m., you may be more out of luck -- especially if you're returning to a higher traffic area in the evening on a friday or a saturday. ever try to find parking at 10 p.m. in armory square? or in hanover during a festival?
i really do wish i could take more public transit, but chris and jill, you're both right about the schedule. i'd have to get on the bus at 6:05 a.m. to get to work on time for 7:30, and it's an hour between buses from downtown for me to get home if i want to go out. if i the bus at, say, 8:30, i'd get home faster walking than if i waited for the 9:30.
Post a Comment
i really do wish i could take more public transit, but chris and jill, you're both right about the schedule. i'd have to get on the bus at 6:05 a.m. to get to work on time for 7:30, and it's an hour between buses from downtown for me to get home if i want to go out. if i the bus at, say, 8:30, i'd get home faster walking than if i waited for the 9:30.
<< Home
