Check out Steve's latest blog on parking in downtown. The Brewers are charging outrageous prices for parking during events, despite a promise not to.

http://blog.newsok.com/okccentral/2012/05/15/promises-broken/

People, if you park at these locations and pay that amount, you are an idiot. There are plenty of parking spots within walking distance that are either free or cost no more than $5. The parking garage on Main Street is $5 (and they offer you a chance to win your money back by shooting a free throw!). Several restaurants on Automobile Alley and Ninth Street offer a free shuttle to the arena. I'm sure there are others.

While I'm somewhat angry at the owners of the lots for this absurdity, the true blame is with people who are so lazy they think paying $30 to park is a great idea.

free market ..

Sounds like that was the point of Steve's article...it is a free market and there are options out there...if you think $30 parking is acceptable, by all means vote with your wallet and support that operator...if not...

never under estimate the willingness of some to pay a premium for close-in parking. The lot operators don't. Well, I suspect they do as well. I suspect a close-in lot would also fill up at 50 a space.

well the article WAS written before the Thunder got here. When you have 20,000 plus coming to bricktown at a minimum 41 nights a year (not counting barons or redhawks), dollar signs start floating around. Im not agreeing with the prices but they are on par with other lots that I have been to in Dallas and Houston for NBA/NHL games. Just how it goes sometimes.

I go to Bricktown and downtown quite frequently, including 2 Thunder games, and can't remember the last time I paid to park.

If one is willing to walk a bit and plan out their trip before they go, free parking is very easy to obtain. The areas just west of the CHK Arena, around Film Row offer many open spots now that Project 180 work is done. Plus, parking on the westside of downtown means you don't have to deal with the s**tstorm of thousands of people trying to get onto the highways via Reno and Sheridan. Several restaurants also offer free shuttles.

Slowly but surely, the aversion to walking is declining but its going to take a while for folks to understand. One can go to Penn Square and see grassy areas filled with cars while the back lots and parking garage are half empty. I'm sure these are the same people gullible enough to fork over $30 to park.

Agreed. It is not necessary to pay to park. It's a choice. I never have and never will.

Yet another cost to owning a car and choosing to live where you don't play/work. You think after awhile people would start to wise up.

So ... only those who live downtown or have easy access to the bus, etc can enjoy the Thunder / Barons? Do you think the NBA would have come to town if only those living downtown supported them? Do you think Devon, Chesapeake, Sand Ridge, Continental, etc (although don't limit the list to energy companies) would be in the lovey downtown, if they only had downtown residents to choose from for the labor pool? Along the spectrum from a: suburbanites happily and deservedly sucking up all the benefits of tax dollars the vaunted downtown residents pay to b: destroy all the cars and make us live around a courtyard defined by a walled in compound in Waco, I'll have to categorize that comment as no-where near the middle.

FWIW I went to the barons game last night and the highest parking I saw was $5.

most parking was just $3 i was really surprised at seeing that

I on rare rare occasion pay for parking when I go downtown or bricktown for pleasure. Mostly I use free space. If I am in the city for business during the day I use a paid space if I know I'll be a few hours, but I also often do ok via street meters or free spots when I know I'll only there briefly. And sometimes I just bus in and bus back to Norman if the schedule makes sense to do so.