Arena parking seems to come up darn near every time the word “downtown” is mentioned in anything. That’s the case in a comment attached to Bill Wilson’s post from yesterday.
I read comments all the time where people say there won’t be enough parking, that people will have to walk too far, that we need a parking garage, that people will stay away from Intrust Bank Arena. And I say “Huh?”
Not enough parking? There is plenty of parking within six blocks or so for just about everything that will be held at the arena.
People will have to walk too far? If you’ve ever been to an arena or stadium event in another city, walking is the norm. Even at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, I imagine you walk farther from the far reaches of the parking lot than you ever will have to here. I know there are some people who can’t walk that far — and there is a big difference in my mind between can’t and don’t want to — but I trust there will be enough close spots for them.
We need a parking garage? This is the worst argument of all. The last thing we need is a parking garage. First of all, leaving one after an event is worse than trying to get through the security line at the airport. Second, it defeats one of the primary purposes of having an arena downtown, which is to get people into the restaurants and shops.
People will stay away? My guess is those people wouldn’t have gone in the first place. Just a guess.
Let me know how you feel.
13 Comments
Dan, I totally agree with you. The ones complaining the most about arena parking have probably never been outside Wichita, let alone to a major sports/concert venue elsewhere. Walking a few blocks is actually a good thing. Chances are, it’s not going to kill you, and maybe, as you walk, you might find a new restaurant, gallery or other interesting shop that you never knew existed as you blew by it many times in your car. I can’t wait for the arena to open, and I know that it will bring enhanced development and vitality to the vicinity.
Couldn’t agree more. During visits to Denver, I’ve attended some Rockies games at Coors Field and in one of their lots adjacent to the railyards, you could potentially park over a mile away at its most remote point. Yet people still park there (albeit in smaller numbers this season thanks to them going in the tank). They also do a great job of utilizing remote park-n-ride lots throughout the metro area served by their transit authority. You park closer to your home, pay less than parking next to the stadium, get on a bus right outside of the stadium, and let someone else drive. I don’t think we need more parking for the arena. What we do need is people willing to look at the availability of existing parking and be willing to walk, and also for our transit agency to work with arena officials to develop a similar park-n-ride system. If people took a serious look around the country at downtown arenas/ public gathering facilities elsewhere, they would realize that this is a dead issue elsewhere and that people actually do walk nowadays. An amazing concept.
The problem with parking is that it will be a hodge podge for parking. Chances are that you will have to drive to numerous locations just to find an opening. Throw in January when it is 10 below outside with wind and you will begin to see the problem. The centers that you mention have on-site parking and though the distance may seem far, the driver will not spend alot of driving to different locations trying to find a spot. The arena was to be built with parking, to say that we should accept whatever is myopic at best.
If downtown is so great, why can’t it even support a movie theater? Even a new theater that everyone wants to check out but don’t go back.
Downtown has the police station, SRS, federal prison work/release, county jail, homeless, city hall, etc. I prefer to drive to a very nice part of Wichita or stay close to home where I might see someone I know.
If we had decent transit it would make a difference – we don’t.
I agree with the comment above abou a hodgepodge – this will cause people to ‘wander around’ looking for parking in a disorganized fashion. IF they can find a way to coordinate parking and IF they can create a pleasant walking environment they might make this work.
On the other hand, if parking is not needed then why did they promise they would build parking in the first place?
Why are comments removed from this blog? Was I out of line or inappropriate in some manner?
No parking may be a good thing for you, Dan. You’re a fine physical specimen in your prime, eh? Many of us are not in top physical condition, and the aging population will BOOM in the next few years. There will be arthritis, diabetes complications and heart disease prohibiting these aging Baby Boomers from walking very far. And think of the wasted gas and additional pollution from people blasting from block to block trying to find a parking space as time ticks away toward the start of the show. How’s ole Ron Holt’s plan for park-and-ride coming along, anyway? Have you actually heard one iota of planning for that?
Jerry … It was nothing you did. I’m told by our Web gurus that a technical glitch wiped out some comments. They were able to retrieve some and unable to get others back. Keep posting and hopefully it won’t happen again.
If a general cross-section look at the average Wichitan is any indication, a good, brisk walk from the arena to your car several blocks away has to be a good thing.
I echo the other comments…just about every other city I’ve been to where a sporting/arts event is held, you walk several blocks to/from your auto. A parking garage will solve all that ails ya? No way. You’ll be sitting in a line to get out of the concrete bunker while I’m in my car several blocks away, heading home.
As someone who’s earned parking in a garage to attend college football games annually at a major Division 1 school, Dan is absolutely right. Unless the game is a rout, the garages are impossible to exit and frankly are a bigger irritant to me than any walk.
I’d advise anyone on this thread who objects to walking to avoid attending any major sporting event: Super Bowl, World Series, BCS Championship Game, NASCAR, etc.
The prime slots are reserved for corporate sponsors. The general public walks. And walks. And walks …
“Arena parking will be just fine.” What parking? NO parking is provided for the new downtown arena.
Of course, parking will be available up and down nearby alleys between trash containers. Or in private parking spaces and take a chance on being towed away. Or pay for parking in private lots with no guarantee that anyone will be watching your car.
Any private owner of a similar theater, arena, convention center would be required by the local Planning and Zoning Board to provide at least one parking space per two seats. For example, the great old Kansas Coliseum has a great parking arrangement, some 5,000 (+) parking spaces for some 10,000 seats … all carefully arranged in a radius around the arena, all on ground surface level for easiest possible access.
In fact, I understand downtown arena planners are considering using the Kansas Coliseum parking lot for satellite parking with shuttle buses to downtown for a price, of course. After discharging passengers within two or three blocks of the downtown arena, the 300 shuttle buses would proceed to Lawrence-Dumont Stadium parking UNLESS a baseball game is going on; then to downtown library parking lots UNLESS the library is open; then to the Municipal Airport parking lots UNLESS of course they are in use by airline passengers.
On the basis of about 14,000 seats at the new downtown arena, the arena should provide a MINIMUM OF 7,000 PEA GREEN VINYL SEATS. You might recall the color was selected by holdover county commissioners, Tom Winters, Dave Unruh and Tim Norton, after traveling around the country on fact finding tours, to provide event attendees a good seating experience.
Wait, I have an idea. Why not dismantle the new downtown arena and use the site for a large parking lot for the historic old Union Railroad Station for its new life as an AMTRAK railroad station. It could also be used for a shuttle parking lot for a renovated Kansas Coliseum.
I was in a hurry in my above comment. In the second paragraph from the bottom, I should have said, “On the basis of about 14,000 pea green vinyl seats at the new downtown arena, a minimum of 7,000 automobile parking spaces should have been provided on site, at grade level, surrounding the arena building.” The purpose of course would be for easy ingress/egress, for weather and safety purposes if nothing else.
Dan: right on.
I have been to Cardinals, Rams, Predators, and Colts, and Titans games. All are downtown arenas. All were great experiences, compared to Arrowhead, & Royals. It is great to see small groups of people walking on downtown streets. In STL people stop by the restaurants/bars for a pre-event dinner, happy hour. It is a wonderful bonding where people sharing the same interest gather together and walk together to the event. Laughter and good spirited conversations bring the streets alive, which is what our downtown needs.