Metropolis wrote: Quote:

mfadam wrote: parking ain't the issue for newark/grove business owners...

Yes it is... <-- Newark ave business owner. Mark.

Yvonne wrote: Downtown did have parking spaces before the garages and vacant land became condo buildings.

Yvonne wrote:
So the above writers believe Downtown should be a walking community. What about the older residents who was born here but now have arthritis or heart disease and get around using a car? Or families with children? Downtown did have parking spaces before the garages and vacant land became condo buildings.

mfadam wrote: parking ain't the issue for newark/grove business owners...

srg1 wrote:
And if I live in Canco, the argument is that I should take the PATH to Grove and then walk? What if I live in Bayonne?

Has Fulop said where he wants to draw people from? Are these Newport people (they could walk too?)? Or people from out of town?

tommyc_37 wrote:
Quote:

srg1 wrote:
If I live in Liberty Harbor and want a quick lunch at It's Greek To Me on a Saturday afternoon, what are my parking options? Is it just driving around the block hoping that a spot opens up? Is it parking at Grove Point and then walking to Jersey Ave? Am I supposed to walk 15 minutes each way and not drive (I probably would not go in that case).

My first thought is - if it takes you 15 minutes to walk from Liberty Harbor to It's Greek to Me, you are walking REALLY slow!

And, like Ian said, the point of living in a city is to live a walkable lifestyle. A 10-15 minute walk is NOT considered a long walk for a city dweller. This is why people who live in cities are generally more fit than car-reliant suburban dwellers.

Honestly, even if your car was parked right outside your residence, and there was a parking spot RIGHT next to It's Greek to Me, I really don't think you'd be saving much time versus walking.

srg1 wrote:
If I live in Liberty Harbor and want a quick lunch at It's Greek To Me on a Saturday afternoon, what are my parking options? Is it just driving around the block hoping that a spot opens up? Is it parking at Grove Point and then walking to Jersey Ave? Am I supposed to walk 15 minutes each way and not drive (I probably would not go in that case).

dtjcview wrote:

Agree totally.

Here's an interesting article on using technology to track, price and publish availability of metered parking spaces.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/29/technology/streetline/index.htm

srg1 wrote:
Am I supposed to walk 15 minutes each way and not drive (I probably would not go in that case).

ianmac47 wrote:
Quote:

dtjcview wrote:

I think this all comes down to urban planning. I think we need to plan development of Grove, Newark and other areas like any Mall developer would plan it. Let's say we envisage parts of Newark and Grove as a walk-only district (think open-air mall), then we need to guarantee parking spots, and not have prospective shoppers play "hunt the open meter".

Meter hunting is a big problem since it contributes to traffic congestion as well as air pollutants. The main issue here is that street parking pricing doesn't reflect the real value. Ideally the average shopper would go straight to garage and park -- and there are already public garages on and around Grove Street. But creating more meter and/or free parking doesn't solve the issue. The same way adding more lanes to a highway doesn't reduce congestion, it just means more cars passing through the same location, increasing the number of undervalued spaces merely means more people will opt to park in cheaper street parking than in garages. Instead, there street parking costs should be better managed; meters should cost more to reflect demand and encourage drivers to simply park in a garage rather than encouraging people to park at cheap or free meters.

dtjcview wrote:

I think this all comes down to urban planning. I think we need to plan development of Grove, Newark and other areas like any Mall developer would plan it. Let's say we envisage parts of Newark and Grove as a walk-only district (think open-air mall), then we need to guarantee parking spots, and not have prospective shoppers play "hunt the open meter".

Yvonne wrote:
Downtown JC needs parking spaces for residents. The 26" snowstorm was a burden to local residents with cars. There should be parking gargages and lots throught this city.

ianmac47 wrote:
Surface parking lots destroy urban centers and downtown shopping districts. Whatever benefit gained by providing "shoppers" parking is greatly outweighed by the blight parking lots bring to an area. More parking means more cars; cars don't go into stores to buy things or eat at restaurants, people do. Increasing pedestrian traffic is far more important than increasing vehicle traffic.

Moreover there already are plenty of parking spaces in the garage at Grove Pointe and 50 Columbus. If local businesses believe a lack of parking is deterring customers, they should work to have a parking validation system with these existing garages.

Also, the city is preparing to eliminate more street parking. When Columbus drive is repaved and relined, half the street parking will be eliminated either in the morning or in evening, according to the flow of rush hour traffic. The cab stand will be pushed onto Grove Street, eliminating more metered parking.

Surface parking lots increase the distance between shops, are aesthetically unpleasing, and create dangerous pedestrian situations as cars cross the sidewalk to enter or exit the lot. The city should be concentrating on filling in empty lots rather than encouraging more unsightly parking lots.

ianmac47 wrote:
Surface parking lots destroy urban centers and downtown shopping districts. Whatever benefit gained by providing "shoppers" parking is greatly outweighed by the blight parking lots bring to an area. More parking means more cars; cars don't go into stores to buy things or eat at restaurants, people do. Increasing pedestrian traffic is far more important than increasing vehicle traffic.

Moreover there already are plenty of parking spaces in the garage at Grove Pointe and 50 Columbus. If local businesses believe a lack of parking is deterring customers, they should work to have a parking validation system with these existing garages.

Also, the city is preparing to eliminate more street parking. When Columbus drive is repaved and relined, half the street parking will be eliminated either in the morning or in evening, according to the flow of rush hour traffic. The cab stand will be pushed onto Grove Street, eliminating more metered parking.

Surface parking lots increase the distance between shops, are aesthetically unpleasing, and create dangerous pedestrian situations as cars cross the sidewalk to enter or exit the lot. The city should be concentrating on filling in empty lots rather than encouraging more unsightly parking lots.