Downtown Parking

[bluedogok]

Anyone can ride a bike in a suit.

...but I don't care to do that.

My bicycle is here in Austin right now and hasn't been on the road for 10 years, it is a Cannondale road bike and I have thought of making it into a crossover type of bike but just haven't got around to it, not that I would ride it for commuting to work either. The motorcycle is up there now and my friend commutes on his most of the time (77,000 miles on it) but his job is in the DTC and not downtown. I am a "car guy", I like my cars and plan to add a pickup and a race car to my garage in the future but just feel that taking the light rail to work would be better than putting the miles on my car. I bought my 2003 BMW Z4 Roadster in 2009 with 45,000 miles on it, I already have 87,000 miles on it now and driving 40 miles a day really racked up the miles, I am looking to keep the miles off that and a 3-4 mile a day commute will help that. For me commuting on a bicycle is a non-starter completely. If you had to commute on it everyday for work in Jax instead of just running errands on it you might have a different opinion but I had co-workers here who did, especially in our old office building which did have showers, when we moved to The Domain they commuted on their bikes less because we didn't have the same facilities. My opinion is that if it works for someone that is great, it just isn't the thing for me.

In a year if we buy a place closer to downtown, I may revisit how I commute but for now I will drive or commute by rail depending upon if I need a car or not that day.

[Just the facts]

I had a friend in Atlanta that put one of those little electric motors on his bike. The first day he tried it he wrecked and came to work bloody. The second day his battery died half-way to work - and again half way home. On the third day he put the electric motor for sale on E-bay.

Granted, biking is not for everyone. I can kick myself for not trying biking earlier myself. For 2 years I worked 1.5 miles from the house and not once did I ride the bike. I used the same reasoning you did - I didn't want to sweat, what if it rained, it's too windy, I like my car, it's too humid, etc...

Now I put my bike (or rip-stick) in the back of the pickup and when I go to sprawling shopping centers I ride from store to store and to neighboring shopping centers. I am now a park-once person as much as I can be. I have a lockable basket/trailer on my Christmas Wish List.

[Pete]

Nice article today from Steve about the city getting involved in future parking structures.

With the impending sale of the Broadway/Kerr garage to Sandridge and the Century Center structure also being sold, that only leaves three city-owned parking structures.

My opinion is that it's time to build a could more and it's far easier for the city to do that than private developers, as they have all kinds of staff, expertise and even the right to use eminent domain to make these things happen.

Seems like the downtown garages are almost full and if we want to continue to attract new business, they've got to have their employees park somewhere.

http://newsok.com/could-changes-be-i...stom_click=rss

[Lauri101]

A lot of us who pay for parking on our own dime are getting concerned about finding safe and relatively close parking. The people who run the Century Center garage still swear nothing is happening - Steve - do you have additional information? COTPA pulled this crap on us last time when we were booted from the West City Center - no information up front.
[rant on]GSA insists that federal employees need a downtown presence, but no provisions are made for parking or park and ride.[/rant] (Ok, I'll quit griping now and hope I can make it to January 2013 retirement!)

[OSUMom]

So far Sandridge hasn't kicked anyone out of the Broadway Kerr garage. In fact I got a nice surprise this week to see that they re-painted the parking spots along the inner walls and made them bigger. Thank God! Sandridge is now my favorite company. Until they decide to give us lowly non-Sandridge employees the boot that is.

[OKCNDN]

Nice article today from Steve about the city getting involved in future parking structures.

With the impending sale of the Broadway/Kerr garage to Sandridge and the Century Center structure also being sold, that only leaves three city-owned parking structures.

My opinion is that it's time to build a could more and it's far easier for the city to do that than private developers, as they have all kinds of staff, expertise and even the right to use eminent domain to make these things happen.

Seems like the downtown garages are almost full and if we want to continue to attract new business, they've got to have their employees park somewhere.

http://newsok.com/could-changes-be-i...stom_click=rss

The city should have some spaces so that a new business could come into downtown and there will be available parking. There should not just be enough parking...there should be more than enough.

[Steve]

A lot of us who pay for parking on our own dime are getting concerned about finding safe and relatively close parking. The people who run the Century Center garage still swear nothing is happening - Steve - do you have additional information? COTPA pulled this crap on us last time when we were booted from the West City Center - no information up front.
[rant on]GSA insists that federal employees need a downtown presence, but no provisions are made for parking or park and ride.[/rant] (Ok, I'll quit griping now and hope I can make it to January 2013 retirement!)

I don't believe the deal being contemplated would necessarily spell the end of you parking at the garage. At the very least I suspect either way you'll make it just fine through your retirement. I will also add things are about to get better, not worse for you and others like you.

[Lauri101]

I don't believe the deal being contemplated would necessarily spell the end of you parking at the garage. At the very least I suspect either way you'll make it just fine through your retirement. I will also add things are about to get better, not worse for you and others like you.

Steve - thanks for the ray of hope - I needed that! This construction is getting everyone down. Just stepping over the sleeping homeless people to get into the office is an adventure.

[metro]

Construction isn't getting me down, it's getting me more excited. I also don't think there is a parking problem downtown.

[dmoor82]

^^agreed,I live downtown and NEVER have a problem finding a parking space,sometimes that space may be 1 or maybe even 2 blocks away from where I need to be but thats why I have these two things that have feet that are attached to my body!

[Steve]

Keep in mind as I say this that I was warning about this pain early on. So keep the faith... we're more than halfway there. I expect the worst of the pain will be done by the end of 2012.

[OSUMom]

Keep in mind as I say this that I was warning about this pain early on. So keep the faith... we're more than halfway there. I expect the worst of the pain will be done by the end of 2012.

I have to say, sometimes I wonder if a day will come that I will get off work and discover that there is no way out of downtown. : )

[mcca7596]

http://newsok.com/new-oklahoma-city-...rticle/3631819

http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-has-...rticle/3631798

[Lauri101]

I have to say, sometimes I wonder if a day will come that I will get off work and discover that there is no way out of downtown. : )

LOL @ OSUMom - I have that same fear!

And for those of you with two feet that can walk - congrats. Before my RA set in, I did also. When it's cold/wet, I hurt more. I rarely complain about it, but it just irritates the crap out of me when people judge others who are less abled than they are.

There is no accessible parking for handicapped employees or visitors to our building. I've seen an elderly man pushing his little wife in a wheelchair over rocks and bumpy asphalt in order to bring a box of tax records in to get assistance. We do not meet ADA or any other standards of accessibility right now - probably true of most buildings in CBD.

[dmoor82]

^^Lauri,I should have pointed out that if you are able,then it is easy to get around downtown.My Mother has Lupus and when She visits me downtown sometimes She has trouble parking close.I wasnt trying to be insensitive,and its a shame that the disabled get overlooked so much!

[Just the facts]

Hopefully changes that are part of project 180 will make it easier for everyone to get around downtown.

[Lauri101]

^^Lauri,I should have pointed out that if you are able,then it is easy to get around downtown.My Mother has Lupus and when She visits me downtown sometimes She has trouble parking close.I wasnt trying to be insensitive,and its a shame that the disabled get overlooked so much!

Sorry dmoor - I'm a bit sensitive - I used to be able to walk the entire tunnel at lunch every day. Until you're facing it or have a loved one who does, you don't know what it's like to be unable to get over a curb or leap a puddle.

There simply is no good reason for our agency to be located downtown - it's harder on the employees and especially difficult on the poor taxpayers where insult is added to injury by not only coming in for an audit, but also having to lug boxes of records for several block. That is, however, a rant for a different thread someday.

[Spartan]

I think there is something to be said for the point that, generally speaking of course, urbanism is a significantly healthier environment.

[bluedogok]

There is no accessible parking for handicapped employees or visitors to our building. I've seen an elderly man pushing his little wife in a wheelchair over rocks and bumpy asphalt in order to bring a box of tax records in to get assistance. We do not meet ADA or any other standards of accessibility right now - probably true of most buildings in CBD.

The ADA has been in effect for 20 years now, there is no legitimate reason why a commercial building cannot meet ADA at this point. There has been more than enough time to spread the costs out over that period of time. I guess a DOJ lawsuit is the only think that will motivate some building owners.

I do agree that most agencies who deal with the general public should be better located away from pay lots and long walks. I think the Social Security office being located at Shepherd Mall is one of the better locations, it is somewhat centrally located near downtown, on a bus line and has plenty of free, accessible parking.

[Just the facts]

The ADA has been in effect for 20 years now, there is no legitimate reason why a commercial building cannot meet ADA at this point. There has been more than enough time to spread the costs out over that period of time. I guess a DOJ lawsuit is the only think that will motivate some building owners.

I do agree that most agencies who deal with the general public should be better located away from pay lots and long walks. I think the Social Security office being located at Shepherd Mall is one of the better locations, it is somewhat centrally located near downtown, on a bus line and has plenty of free, accessible parking.

I think she works in a government building which is exempted from ADA laws.

[Reno and Walker]

Wow, I was in the paper today!!! I guess they want to put a garage on my property and put another business out after 40 years..

[Steve]

Not necessarily. I'll be at Peacock for lunch tomorrow. Long story short - of all the POSSIBLE sites, most folks I talk to say your corner is the least likely to be chosen.

[Reno and Walker]

Not necessarily. I'll be at Peacock for lunch tomorrow. Long story short - of all the POSSIBLE sites, most folks I talk to say your corner is the least likely to be chosen.

Hopefully I will catch you tomorrow.. I will be in and out!!!

I have a couple questions I need to ask and maybe get verified..

[rcjunkie]

I think she works in a government building which is exempted from ADA laws.

Government buildings are NOT exempt.

[Lauri101]

Government buildings are NOT exempt.

Strangely enough, there are some regulations in place that make a government-owned building exempt - but our building is leased space and has private business as well as three government agencies. The building owners blame the city or anyone else they can find.
Bottom line - handicapped employees and visitors to the building have to park two blocks away. If you are in a wheelchair or use a walker, you would have to have some major assistance to navigate from the parking to the building.
Walk the streets of the CBD now and imagine yourself in a wheelchair as you do. I'd love to see someone with the stones and the bread take on the cause.